


What If...

by OopsFanfiction



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Hogwarts, I'll take prompts too, Modern AU, Multi, Reader-Insert, Shameless trash, all the aus, mafia, teacher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 22:39:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5945955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OopsFanfiction/pseuds/OopsFanfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a big collection of AUs about the men of Star Wars.<br/>Requests are closed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ...Ben attended Hogwarts? (Coiled-A Hogwarts AU)

Ben sat at the back in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class and tried his damnedest to not fall asleep. His uncle, Professor Skywalker, was currently walking the class through another lesson on nonverbal spells. There had been a quiet murmur throughout the magical community that another Dark Lord had risen. Class curriculum altered ever so slightly to a more defensive approach, teaching students how to protect themselves. Whispers carried the name of Snoke but no one could pinpoint where he came from.

No one had forgotten the Battle of Hogwarts decades ago. Professor Longbottom, the Herbology professor, always seemed a bit unwilling to share stories about his time in Dumbledore’s Army and his time in the war but every once in a while a student would be able to weasel him into spending an entire class period talking about it. Ben had heard the stories tons of times. His own parents had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and every time the anniversary rolled around it seemed like another reporter from the Daily Prophet was hounding them for an interview. Both Leia and Han had been members of the Order of Phoenix and “fought valiantly” to protect Hogwarts, despite Leia’s father, Ben’s grandfather, being one of Voldemort’s right hand men. There had been a puff piece in the Daily Prophet about the Gryffindor pair after Ben was born. And then another one when Ben had been sorted into Slytherin.

Gossip magazines surmised that Ben would take after his maternal grandfather.

This caused no more conflict than what was usual in the Organa-Solo household. Leia and Han were still doting but sometimes aloof parents who seemed to be all over the place all the time as their jobs as Aurors. Luke, however, seemed to keep an awfully close eye on him. It was as if he was actually wary that Ben would follow Anakin’s path. (Anakin had been redeemed in his final moments, throwing himself in front of a Killing Curse meant of Luke but no one seemed to remember that.)

No matter, Ben knew he was ambitious and liked his world in Slytherin. He was a prefect and wielded the power like he wanted. Most students and teachers had to remind other houses that Slytherin students did actually help defend the castle (after they broke out of the dungeons) but Ben let the foreboding reputation continue.

There was a part of him that liked to be feared.

The class was dismissed after a few more minutes and Ben nodded at his uncle before sliding out into the hall. People mulled about, most in no rush to get to their next class or to the Great Hall for an early lunch.

“Give it back.” A familiar voice calmly stated from around the corner.

“Come get it!” Someone retorted.

Ben hefted his book bag higher onto his shoulder and walked around to see the inevitable. Y/N L/N, a Slytherin just a year younger than him, was once again about to fight an older Hufflepuff girl, reclaiming a book she had snatched from Y/N’s bag. Blood was running down Y/N’s face, over her lips and chin, from her nose. Her hair had been pulled from its braid and was now in a tangled mess around her face.

It seemed Y/N was a magnet for being picked on. It had started in her first year and had never stopped. It wasn’t that she was an easy target. She was an exceptional witch and constantly, silently competing with a Ravenclaw for the top seat in their class.

Ben watched with mild amusement as Y/N dropped her bag and tackled the Hufflepuff girl at the knees. The Hufflepuff’s head connected with the stone floor with a loud ‘crack.’

By now, a large group had assembled and watching the fight. Some cheered for the Hufflepuff and other cheered for Y/N.

Y/N pulled the book from the other girl’s grip and then smacked her in the face with it, snapping the girls head to the side. “I told you—touch my stuff again and you’ll regret it.”

Y/N hadn’t always been this vicious.

Ben remembered when she had been the quiet, constantly blushing girl who didn’t speak to anyone with her nose always stuffed in a book. People who didn’t recognize her last name wondered why she was placed with the snakes instead of in Ravenclaw. But some knew, some recognized the name L/N and knew her family had been long-standing supporters of Salazar Slytherin.

Pureblood. Cold. Ruthless.

That’s what they stood for. But they were also constantly neutral in almost all situations. During the Battle of Hogwarts, no L/N could be seen on either side. Everyone in the high rungs of the wizarding community knew there had been pressure from Death Eaters and Voldemort himself for them to join their ranks and they refused. There was a quiet, terrifying power running in the L/N line.

As Ben watched Y/N rise to stand over the crumpled, bloody form of the Hufflepuff, a smirk on her face and bloody fingers around the book, he knew she had it too.

“Shit, run!” Someone yelled, spotting a professor coming their way, and the group dispersed and Ben lost sight of Y/N in the crowd.

**

_In his second year, Ben’s ears were ringing from the screeches of the mandrakes he had to handle during his Spring Term Final as he walked out of herbology but he could still hear the soft crying coming from an empty classroom. Frowning, Ben pushed into the classroom and was instantly bombarded with the sight of hundreds of ripped pages strewn across the floor along with crumpled rolls of parchment which had been splattered with large ink stains._

_A first year stood in the corner, her face in her hands as her shoulders shook with sobs._

_“Hey…hey, are you okay?” Ben asked, slowly walking forward._

_The girl’s head shot up. Her E/C eyes were rimmed with red and there was a bruise already forming on her cheek. “I-I-I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up.” She started to scramble to pick everything up, quickly hitting her knees and scooping the pages up in handfuls._

_Ben watched her for a moment before kneeling beside her and grabbing a few pages off the floor. “Are you okay?” He asked again._

_She hiccupped with fresh tears which she tried to wipe away with the sleeve of her cloak. “It was just some stupid prank a couple of older Ravenclaws pulled. They put a bit of exploding potion in my bag. E-everything’s ruined. I’m going to be so late for class.”_

_Well, that explained the papers being everywhere but not the bruise. “What do you have next? Defense Against the Dark Arts?” He asked, remembering his own First Year timetable. Maybe they hadn’t changed._

_“Yeah.”_

_“I’ll walk you. I know the professor pretty well.” That was an understatement. “I’ll explain what happened. He won’t hold it against you.” He had a free period next anyway._

_The girl just nodded and they finished gathering everything up, both of their hands now smeared with ink, and quietly walked side by side. Everything was a jumbled mess in her arms; her bag had been torn to shreds. “Thank you,” she whispered._

_“It’s fine. I’m Ben, by the way. Ben Solo.”_

_“I’m Y/N L/N. It’s nice to meet you, Ben.”_

_They were quiet for a bit before Ben finally asked. “So, did one of them hit you?”_

_Red instantly took over Y/N’s cheeks. “They, um, pushed me into a wall. That’s how they distracted me to put the potion in my bag.” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “I guess I’ll just have to be a bit more vigilant.”_

_“Why’d they target you?”_

_She shrugged and then winced. “I think the stupid explosion hurt my arm.” A sigh pushed through her. “One of them said something about my mum getting a job at the Ministry. I think one of their parents was also up for the promotion. I don’t know.”_

_They finally reached the DADA classroom and Ben went in first, Y/N shuffling in behind him. Class had only started a moment ago and Luke froze when he saw Ben standing in the doorway._

_“Is everything all right, Ben?”_

_Y/N peeked out from behind Ben. Luke looked at her and Ben knew he could see the tears and bruising._

_“Miss Y/N here was attacked by a group of older students. I just wanted to see her safely to class.”_

_Luke nodded. “Miss L/N, please take your seat. Don’t worry about being tardy.”_

_Y/N stepped out from behind Ben, gave him a soft smile, before scurrying to her seat at the back of the classroom. A few other students snickered and pointed at their hands, referencing her ink-covered fingers and palms. Ben frowned but excused himself from the classroom with a nod toward his uncle._

**

Later that night, after the brawl in the hallway, Ben saw Y/N walking out of the Great Hall. Her bruised hand was wrapped around a sundae. Her eyes were closed as she slid the spoon, full of hot fudge, in between her lips with a moan.

Ben nearly walked right into the wall.

**

_It was the day before the first day of Ben’s third year and he and his parents were busy running around Diagon Alley to get his supplies when he was finally able to see Y/N again. She was standing next to a boy probably a few years older than her and an older couple. Ben assumed this was her family._

_Y/N looked around, as if feeling Ben’s eyes on her, and smiled as she spotted him. She tapped her mother’s arm lightly and asked her something. Her mother’s calculating eyes shot to Ben. Mrs. L/N was famous for that stare; people usually broke under it while they stood before her and her husband, both high ranking in the Wizengamot. He attempted to stand strong, nonplussed against her piercing gaze. She looked at Leia then Han, who were busy looking at a new cauldron in a store window behind him, before she nodded once._

_He had passed the test._

_Y/N walked up to him with a smile, her arms full of books she’d need for the upcoming year. “Hi! How’re you today?” She seemed significantly more upbeat than the last time he had seen her. Ben had always meant to track her down after the incident her first year but she seemed to disappear at will, always one step (or four) ahead of him and everyone else._

_“Hi, Y/N. I’m okay. Not really looking forward to Divination this year. I don’t know why Professor Trelawney keeps teaching. She can barely see as it is.”_

_Y/N chuckled. “I, um, just wanted to say thank you for last year. I was actually thinking about getting homeschooled before you helped me out. So…thanks.”_

_“Yeah, you’re welcome. I’ll look out for you.” The words just spilled out but Ben meant them. Something strangely protective had come over him when he looked at the shorter girl._

Y/N blushed but nodded, her loose H/C hair obscuring it only slightly. “Thanks. I’ll see you at school.” She then walked back to her family. She shoved her older brother when he tugged at a strand of her hair. 

_“Who was that?” Leia asked, appearing behind Ben._

_“A friend.”_

_“Does your friend have a name, son?” Han asked, a bit of a laugh coloring his tone._

_“Yes, she does. Did you guys decide to get the cauldron for the kitchen?”_

_Han and Leia looked at each other, annoyingly knowing smirks on both of their faces._

_Most of Ben’s third year was a blur. He attempted to keep his promise of looking after Y/N as she shuffled about in her second year but knew she wound up in the Hospital Wing at least twice. When questioned about it, Y/N deflected with a shrug and a few well-placed words. So, Ben took it upon himself to sit with her at all the meals they had together. It was mostly quiet with both of them studying or finishing a bit of parchment for an upcoming class._

_But it was comfortable._

_It wasn’t like the quiet that filled his house when his parents were out on missions. No, it was almost peaceful and cathartic._

_Hux, a Slytherin in Ben’s year who looked suspiciously like a Weasley, once questioned Ben about it. “Who is she to you? The little second year.”_

_“A friend.”_

_Hux hummed and then returned his book about basilisks. “Do you think she is like the rest of them?”_

_“Who?”_

_“Her family—the eternal nonaligned. Do you think she’s like them and unwilling to choose a side?” His voice was slightly muffled behind the thick book._

_“What is coming that she’ll have to choose a side?” He asked, plopping down onto the leather couch beside Hux._

_Hux just shrugged._

**

Ben found Y/N sitting near the lake, the fall wind ruffling her hair as the sun slowly sank on the horizon. He sat next to her without saying a word.

“You graduate this year,” she mused softly.

“I do.”

“Do you still want to become an Auror, like your parents?”

Ben sighed. “We’ll see if my NEWT scores are up to par.”

Y/N knocked his shoulder with her own. “Oh please. You’re the smartest person in your year. And you have three Aurors in your family.”

He smiled. “Uncle Luke retired after Harry Potter took over the Auror department. I hardly think he counts.”

Y/N laughed and Ben felt a stupid stabbing sensation in his gut. It always happened when she laughed.

“You’re a shoo-in, Ben. They’d be stupid to not accept you.” She sighed and lay back onto the grass. She quickly pulled him down beside her, watching the stars as they revealed themselves in the darkening sky. “I heard they’re going to need all the help they can get,” Y/N’s voice was soft and she rolled to press her cheek to his shoulder and his arm instinctively wiggled around to drape at her waist. It was a pose they had perfected.

But Y/N was right. The whispers of a new Dark Lord gaining power had increased over the past few months. Hogwarts had stepped up the defenses of the castle to a near-military grade. Classes were altered to prepare students for warfare.

“What will you do?” Ben asked in return, his hand wandering up her back to softly play with her hair.

“My mother wants me to come home, finish school away from everything and everyone. But I told her no one would take me seriously if I didn’t take my NEWTS here next year.”

“She just wants to keep you safe.”

“You’ve done a pretty good job of that.” She chuckled and drummed her fingers against his chest.

“Yes, but I won’t be here next year, remember?”

Y/N was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “But hardly anyone thinks of me as that poor First Year with the exploding bag anymore.”

“No, you definitely aren’t.”

By now the sun had set and all the stars had come out to shine a small bit of light. There was no moon tonight.

“But you’ll stay safe, right, Ben?” Her voice was soft, reminding him of the small girl in the empty classroom all those years ago. She was vulnerable.

“Of course. I’ll stay safe.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

She pressed her lips against his cheek for a moment before getting up and walking away.

**

_The same habit he and Y/N had developed in her second year crossed over into her third. It was a quiet companionship which had been bolstered by their owl-carried letters over the summer holiday._

_But Ben noticed a significant change in Y/N when she strolled into the Great Hall on the first night. She no longer ducked her head when walking to class. She stood proud and he had even heard a few of the girls in his year saying how Y/N had helped them with their Divination homework. She was gaining friends outside of her companionship with Ben. Her newfound confidence only seemed to garner more attention from would-be bullies but it also seemed that she had learned how to fight back too. It had become a running joke in the Slytherin Common Room that everyone had to be on their best behavior to gain the points back she had taken away when she was caught fighting._

_And her hair had grown and Ben could’ve sworn it was shinier—it looked softer too._

_Not that he wanted to touch it._

_No._

_Not even a little bit._

**

It was as if Y/N was avoiding him. Ben hadn’t seen her since their conversation at the lake. And no, Ben wasn’t thinking about the kiss. Nope.

He asked Wendy Phasm, one of the other Slytherin girls in Ben’s year who had a penchant for everything shiny and silver, if she had seen Y/N.

“Of course I have,” Wendy retorted. “She sits next to me in almost every class. Why?” But then a smirk crossed Wendy’s face. It was like looking at a shark. “She’s avoiding you, isn’t she?”

Ben scowled. “Never mind.”

Wendy just laughed as Ben walked away. 

Three days passed before Ben managed to corner Y/N in an empty hallway. 

“Why are you avoiding me?” He asked, his hands on either side of her head, pressing into the cold stone wall. 

“I’m not,” Y/N said, clearly avoiding eye contact. “I have to go-”

“No, you don’t! You have the next period free.”

Y/N closed her eyes and sighed. “What do you want, Ben?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Her E/C eyes shot back open. “No, of course not. It’s just…I just didn’t want to like…” She made a few noncommittal noises before shrugging.

Ben wasn’t entirely sure how long they just stood there, chest to chest, in a tense silence. But, he was acutely aware of how long Y/N had pressed her lips to his. 

It was a glorious ten seconds.

**

_During Y/N’s fourth year and Ben’s fifth, Headmistress McGonagall finally opened the annual ball celebrating the victory during the Battle of Hogwarts to fifth years instead of just sixth and seventh years. Fourth years were allowed to come if an older classmate asked them._

_Leia had been near ecstatic for Ben. Han, on the other hand, just grumbled something about having to go dress robe shopping._

_The school year progressed normally with Y/N quietly keeping him quiet company in between classes. Hux took notice how much time Ben was spending with her and asked, “What is your relationship with L/N?” He had never been one to beat around the bush._

_“We’re friends,” Ben answered._

_“Friends? It certainly seems otherwise.”_

_“We’re friends, Hux. Just like you and I are friends.”_

_The ginger just sneered and walked away._

_The year continued to trickle along and Ben noticed most of the older classmen pairing up as the Spring Term started to draw to a close. Questions of who he was going to take to the ball became more and more frequent. Was he supposed to take a date? For some reason Ben had thought this was just another opportunity in the magical community for students to dress up and sneak firewhiskey into the punch._

_Feeling desperate and just a smidge pathetic, Ben wrote to his father, asking him how to ask a girl to the dance._

_Han, ever the wordsmith, just said, **“Open your mouth and ask.”**_

_Thankfully, Leia had also responded. **“Ben, you don’t have to do anything fancy. Most girls just liked to be simply asked. A short, “would you like to go to the ball with me?” usually gets the job done. Remember to smile, my boy. I know you have a tendency to be a bit intimidating when you’re embarrassed or anxious. But I know any girl would be lucky to be on your arm. I do hope you’re thinking of taking that darling Y/N with you. Her mother and I often talk about how perfect you two would be together-”**_

_Ben stopped reading after that, his face a shocking shade of scarlet. Since when had their mothers become friends? Did they meet between meetings and missions for tea and gossip? What was this world coming to?_

_But soon the year-end ball was less than two weeks away and there was still no one Ben thought he should ask. And perhaps it was because of his mother’s letter but thoughts of Y/N on his arm were persistently sneaking into his subconscious._

_So, over lunch one day, as they quietly finished a writing assignment at the end of the Slytherin table, Ben finally asked, “Wanna go to the ball with me?”_

_“You have ink on your face,” she responded around a mouthful of bread. Y/N reached up and gently wiped it away with her napkin._

_“Is that a yes?” Ben asked, actually feeling nervous._

_“Yeah, of course. I’ll have to write home for my mum to send me my dress but yeah, I’ll be happy to go with you.”_

_Ben felt a smile split his face and nearly knocked over his ink pot when he reached for another biscuit._

_The night of the ball finally arrived and Ben waited in the common room for Y/N. As he fiddled with his cufflinks, other older Slytherins mulled about. Most of them were pregaming, shooting firewhiskey before making their way to the Great Hall. Form what Ben had gathered, Y/N was the only fourth year Slytherin student going tonight. The fact filled him with a bit of pride for some reason he couldn’t explain._

_The door to the Fourth Year Girls’ Dorm opened and Ben looked up as Hux nudged him. Ben felt his mouth drop but quickly closed it. Her black gown was simple but classic. Black lace encased her arms and torso and shimmered slightly in the light of the common room. Her makeup was dark and her hair was curled and pinned._

_“She looks like a princess,” one of the first years whispered._

_“Yes, she does,” Ben heard himself say._

_Y/N smiled at him as she finally stepped up to him. “Do I look okay? I thought black was a safe color, I didn’t know what color your robes were-”_

_“You look perfect.” His voice was a little more breathy than he wanted but he took her arm and started to guide her toward the Great Hall._

_The night was filled with laughter and inside jokes. It was as if the world was blurred behind them. Only they existed. Ben would never admit it out loud, but she seemed to fit perfectly against him. His hand fit against her waist as if she had been made with him in mind. And then, at the end of the night, with the clock closing in on the witching hour, Y/N fell asleep against his chest. Ben smiled to himself as he hoisted her up into his arms and carried her all the way back._

**

Once again, there had been silence between Y/N and Ben. Ben blamed it on the end-of-the-year exams but he knew she was once again avoiding him.

He had seen the hurt in her eyes when she pulled away from him in the hallway. He hadn’t responded, hadn’t pressed his lips against hers to keep the kiss continuing. He had frozen. 

And she had left. 

“Are you coming to the party tonight?” Wendy asked, pulling Ben out of the reverie he was in. 

“What party?” Ben grumbled. 

Wendy snickered, probably guessing what he had been thinking about. “The party tonight out in the Forest. Hux organized it-”

“I’m not going.”

Wendy laughed. “I am 75% sure this party will be better than last time he threw a party.”

“I’m not spending another night looking over his family tapestries and helping him count how many galleons he had in his pockets.”

Another laugh from Wendy. “It wasn’t that bad.” Ben just shook his head. “Anyway, I heard your little Y/N is invited too.” She hummed and settled farther into the couch. 

And that was how Ben found himself walking toward the Forbidden Forest with a group of other seventh years from other houses. Music was already thumping and drunk people were stumbling about and the sun had barely set an hour ago. Trees were twinkling with lights and Ben loathed to admit it but it actually seemed to be a good party. A platter presumably knicked from the Great Hall, was floating throughout the party, constantly replenishing itself with food and barrels of firewhiskey punch were leaning against a rock. Every house was represented, sixth and seventh years milled about, clearing enjoying the end of the year.

Ben was forcibly handed a cup of punch by Hux who was busy guzzling his own. He quirked a ginger eyebrow before walking away. 

Y/N was talking with Poe Dameron, a Gryffindor seventh year. They were leant against a large, withered tree, less than arm’s length away from each other. 

Before Ben could realize what he was doing, Ben had downed his entire cup and was marching over toward them, his hands bunched at his sides. 

“Hey, Solo,” Dameron said, his ever present smile on his face. “I heard you weren’t-”

Ben grasped the back of Y/N’s neck and pressed his lips to hers. It was hard and desperate and tasted of punch and firewhiskey. But all Ben could feel was Y/N’s hands curling into his shirt and pulling him closer before her fingers slid into his hair, pulling at the dark locks. 

“Oh-kay…” Ben was barely aware of Poe. “I’ll…just see you guys later then…” 

Her lips were soft and pliable against his, perfectly in tune with his. His large hands slid around her, digging into her back, anchoring her to him. 

They only broke away to gulp in air. It was quiet for a moment before Y/N started to laugh. “What was that about?” Her fingers stayed in his hair, twirling strands of it around and around. 

“Stop ignoring me.” 

“I-”

Whatever she was saying was cut off as a large explosion rocked the forest. Instinctively, almost everyone drew their wands. 

“What was that?” Someone asked, panic quickly seeping through the crowd. 

They were answered as a group of wizards slinking through the dark trees of the forest. Their faces were obscured by dark hoods and robes. Wands were drawn, sparking with red. 

“How’d they get through the defenses?” Y/N asked. Ben looked at her. Her hand didn’t shake as she held her wand out in front of her, her jaw was set. She wanted to fight. 

“I don’t know.” He glanced backwards toward the castle. “I need you to go to McGonagall, raise the alarm.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Y/N-”

“Don’t argue. You’ll lose.”

“Ah,” an old, withered voice rang out. “The best and the brightest of Hogwarts, all assembled in one place. How convenient.” One of the cloaked men stepped forward, his long wand still raised. 

“Who are you?” Poe asked.

The old man chuckled. “You’ve heard of me. I know you’ve been taught to defend yourself against me. But I know it will be useless. I am more powerful than you and your professors could imagine. I am Snoke.” 

Ben felt absolute dread wash over him like a tidal wave. 

“I will give you all a moment to decide your fates. Join me or die.”

Ben watched Y/N tighten her grip on her wand. “You can’t be serious,” She retorted. 

Snoke tilted his head toward Y/N, focusing his energy on her. “You’re a L/N. It’s curious to see you here, at the front lines. Usually your kind runs and hides.” 

Before Ben could even blink, Y/N had flicked her wand and shouted, “Bombarda Maxima!” 

Trees exploded with the spell and everyone started to scramble. Some darted back toward the castle, others started to light up the sky with different colored charms, hexes, and jinxes. 

The battle had begun. 

Ben instantly followed Y/N, keeping her safe from the spells coming toward her while she focused on a pair of combatants in front of her. Her face was tense and her knuckles white around her wand. But she still moved easily, casting and dodging spells with finesse and grace. She was a deadly force and wasn’t surprised to see her strike down the combatants she had been focusing on. 

She had killed them and Ben had killed the others. 

But the battled continued to rage on. The students were swarming, pushing and pulling into a huddle before spreading out again and again as they waged battle against Snoke and his followers.

Soon professors and Aurors alike had joined the fray and, for a moment, it seemed they had the upper hand. But then a flurry of green lights was projected from Snoke and his followers and the bodies started to drop. 

Ben was suddenly yanked away from Y/N’s side. Luke glared down at him. “Run.” 

“I’m not leaving without her-”

Y/N let out a choked sound as she was struck down. Someone in the distance cackled. 

Ben ripped himself out of his uncle’s grasp and ran toward her just as a man draped in black stalked forward, his wand drawn. No one else seemed to notice. 

“Avada Ke-”

“Avada Kedavra!” Ben shouted. Green sparks shot out of the end of Ben’s wand and hit the man squarely in the chest. He fell to his knees then to his back where he remained motionless. Ben ran to Y/N and almost breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He gathered her in his arms and looked at Luke who had easily just incapacitated two other enemies. 

There was something strange in Luke’s eyes. He had watched Ben utter the Unforgiveable Curse without hesitation to save Y/N. 

“Cover me!” Ben bellowed.

Luke nodded and instantly struck down another cloaked man who had been sneaking up behind them. 

Ben didn’t look back as he ran back toward Hogwarts.

**

Ben stood vigil over Y/N for three days, desperate for her to wake up. The healer wasn’t entirely sure what had hit her so had been forced to just hope for the best.

Snoke and his followers escaped capture, only retreating after Headmistress McGonagall arrived with the stone soldiers and dozens more aurors. 

No one had spoken of Ben’s use of the Unforgiveable Curse and he had only assumed Luke had kept his secret. The graduation ceremony had been cancelled out of respect of the students who had died. 

Han and Leia were due to arrive today. McGonagall wanted their opinions on even more safety measures to be taken around campus. 

A new war was brewing. 

But all Ben could think about was Y/N. She looked almost lifeless on the small Hospital Wing bed. 

He curled his hand around her smaller one before raising it to press his lips against each of her fingers. 

“Wake up,” he whispered against her skin. “Wake up for me.” 

It frightened him how much he realized he cared for her. He didn’t want to be in a world without her. He wanted to wake up every morning knowing she was his and he was hers. He wanted to know if she felt the same. 

He kissed her hand, reveling in the small amount of warmth she emitted. 

Y/N let out a small noise and her head fell to the side. Her nose scrunched up before her eyes opened only to close quickly again. “Too bright,” she said, her voice scratchy. 

With a flick of his wrist, Ben shut all the curtains, dimming the bright room. “Y/N?” He placed a shaking hand against her cheek before calling for the healer. “Y/N, can you hear me?”

“Yeah.” She nuzzled into his palm for a moment before opening her eyes. A small smile touched her lips. It was quiet for a moment before the healer came and shooed Ben away. 

He came back as soon as he was allowed, thankful to see Y/N propped up against the pillows, sipping on a glass of water. 

“How’re you feeling?” He asked as he took his seat next to her bed. 

“I’ve felt better.” She smiled. “I was told you stood watch over me the entire time.” 

Ben just nodded. 

Y/N set down her water and gently took Ben’s face in her hands. “You killed for me.” Her voice was soft, barely a whisper.

“I did.” 

She shook her head before pressing her forehead to his. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Ben said. The words came easily. He had been mulling them over and over in his head since she had been confined to the Hospital Wing. He had asked himself why he hadn’t said them earlier. He was sure he had felt this way for years. 

“We’ll fight them together, won’t we?” She asked. 

“Of course.”


	2. ...Ben was a bartender? (Wine-A Bar AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in an hour and a half. I'm sorry.

The Millennium Falcon Bar and Grille had started off as a hole-in-the-wall eatery but soon became one of the busiest restaurants in the entire city. The food was good, the wait staff was nice, and everyone seemed to like the fact that it had run by the Solo family for a few decades. And on Saturday nights, the entire place turned into a bar.

Ben Solo, the owners’ only son, was the resident bartender who had a penchant for instigating fights when he wanted a patron to leave. A well placed, “so, how’s the meth addiction coming along?” or “I haven’t seen your mother lately, is she in jail again?” usually did the trick but he wasn’t above just calling the bouncer and having the troublemaker “escorted” off the property.

Ben knew some of the customers didn’t really care for his sense of humor but didn’t really care. His parents might ‘tut’ at him every once in a while but that was it. He really had no one to impress.

Well, maybe that wasn’t true.

Y/N had been new in town about a year ago and her new coworkers had dragged her to the Falcon for dinner to welcome her into the fold. Ben had found himself staring at her for a solid minute in a half before someone at the bar waved a bit of cash right in front of his face. But he kept looking at her. He liked the way she blushed and how she twirled her hair when she was looking over the menu. The sound of her laughter was sweet and he barely heard it over the din of the rest of the crowd but it still made him smile.

She became a regular after that. Sometimes she brought a friend or two but sometimes came alone to enjoy her usual order of a glass of sweet red wine and a Cobb salad. On slow nights, Ben would fill in if a waiter had called out and always managed to weasel his way into getting the section where she was seated.

It took a total of four separate occasions for Y/N to finally realize that Ben was the same waiter and then invited him to sit down as an apology.

“Oh, come on. I’m so sorry. I’m absolutely terrible with faces. I think it takes me five times to remember someone. Let me buy you something. Oh God, I’m so sorry.” And she was blushing again and even though he was probably going to get scolded by Leia, Ben sat down.

And he didn’t get up again until Han came out to tell everyone they were closing for the night. It had been so easy to talk to her. She laughed at his terrible, often mean-spirited jokes and he managed to chuckle at her puns which got worse and worse with every glass of wine she drank.

Han called her a cab after she stumbled when standing up and Ben instinctively caught her. Ben could’ve sworn he would remember that stupid mixture of light, expensive perfume and sweet wine for the rest of his life.

From then on, Y/N sat at the bar when she came alone to “bother” him, as she called it. She did have a bad habit of throwing the free bar pretzels at him when he was taking too long with another customer but that only served to endear her more to Ben.

Han and Leia thought it was hilarious that a girl “with a heart of gold” and “not a mean bone in her body” had managed to weasel her way into Ben’s heart with just a few well-placed puns and poorly aimed pretzels. Ben adamantly denied this, his face getting redder and redder with each accusation.

But then Lando, Han’s old frat buddy managed to convince Leia into holding a speed dating night for his entertainment company.

Ben was pinning up flyers for it over the bar when Y/N walked in.

“Speed dating?” She asked after hitting his back with a pretzel.

“Yeah. It was Lando’s idea.”

Y/N just nodded then smiled when Ben slid a glass of her favorite wine in front of her. “You gonna participate?” She asked over the rim of the glass.

“In speed dating?” Ben let out a laugh so loud even the drunk guy at the end of the bar turned to look at him. And Y/N was blushing. “Oh my god, no. Absolutely not. God, I hope I’m never that desperate.” Ben turned to see Y/N’s blush had intensified but she was staring at her only half-empty wine glass with a frown. She pulled enough cash to cover the wine plus a tip and stood up.

“I…Have a good night, Ben.” She then hurried out of the restaurant.

The drunk guy at the end of the bar snickered before yellowing, “You’re an idiot!”

**

When the night of the speed dating even came around, Ben realized that, yes, he was definitely an idiot.

Why?

Because he watched Y/N shuffle in with a few of her friends. Her head was tucked close to her chest and she quickly pulled her nametag off the sheet and took a seat without looking at him.

“I’m so happy you came,” one of her friends said as she sat next to Y/N. “You seemed so hung up on that guy—and you won’t even tell me his name and I’m only letting that slide because you’re here with me—and it’s time to broaden your horizons. Obviously, and this is just my opinion, but if he doesn’t see that you’ve been throwing yourself at him for the past year, he’s an idiot and doesn’t deserve you.”

Ben just watched Y/N smile and tuck a strand of her H/C hair behind her ear. “Yeah, maybe.”

“No, he’s an idiot,” another friend affirmed. “A giant idiot.”

Ben frowned. She had never mentioned a guy. But, then again, he had been too busy imagining how red her lips would get from something other than wine whenever she laughed. He hadn’t asked if she was romantically attached and didn’t want to know…well, until now, obviously.

The waiters were walking around with trays of wine and champagne and Y/N instantly grabbed a glass of her favorite red and took a large gulp of it.

“Nervous?” A friend laughed.

“Absolutely petrified.”

Lando soon came out and explained how the process would work. The women would stay seated and the men would rotate; only having three minutes on each “date.” “Hopefully, if they like you, an actual date will follow. And I do hope you last longer than three minutes,” Lando laughed at his own joke.The men, who had been corralled on the opposite side of the restaurant per Lando’s instructions, all chuckled at this. Ben, who was still on bar duty, scowled. They all looked like morons.

But why should he care? He had just heard that Y/N had been pining for a guy for almost a year with absolutely no luck. Ben agreed with Y/N’s friends. That guy was an idiot.

Eventually everyone settled into their places and the timer started.

As Ben kept the glasses of wine and champagne filled at the bar, he tried to focus on what Y/N’s dates were saying.

“So, uh, what do you do?” One asked.

“I’m a-”

“That’s cool. I just passed the Bar Exam and I’m going to work for my dad at his firm.”

Y/N smiled. “That’s exciting. What kind of law do you want to practice?”

“Anything that will make me money.” He laughed at his own joke—was that supposed to be a joke?

The timer buzzed and the next man sat in front of her. “I’m Elliot.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N.”

“So, you’re not like, here to get a boyfriend or anything, right?” Elliot asked as he cocked his head to the side.

“Pardon?”

“This is a terrible way to start a relationship.”

“And what are you planning on getting out of it?”

“Honestly? This is easier than Tinder.”

“So…sex.”

“Well, at least you’re smart.”

Ben felt his eye twitch at that last comment. “What the _fuck_ …” He muttered, earning him a flick to his ear via Han.

“Watch your mouth.”

“He basically just called Y/N ugly,” Ben retorted.

Han squinted at him, something Ben hated. “Well, maybe you should’ve called her beautiful when you had the chance.”

Han walked away before Ben could say anything and Ben resigned himself to keep watching the train wreck.

The next man sat in front of Y/N and grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “You are beautiful.”

Y/N blushed and slowly retracted her hand. “Thank you.”

“I would marry you right now, if I could.”

Ben watched Y/N’s eye bulge. “Don’t…don’t you think we should get to know each other first?” She gave a nervous laugh. “I’m sure someone will be happy to have you-”

“What? Am I not good enough for you?”

“I didn’t say that!” Y/N retorted. She was pressing herself into the back of her chair which was, unfortunately, lined against the wall.

“Did Lando not vet these guys at all?” Ben grumbled.

“You know, I don’t think he did,” his mother answered, appearing beside him without a noise. Leia sighed as she looked at Y/N. “Poor girl.”

He stood with his mother in silence as he watched Y/N go through another two disastrous dates. “I’d treat her better than that,” he said.

Leia scoffed. “She gave you plenty of chances, Ben. You were just so wrapped up in your own ego you didn’t notice she was basically giving you opportunity to ask her on a date. My poor clueless boy. Just like your father.”

Ben was stunned into silence from the words his mother had spit out. What? What had just happened? Had she really been trying to get his attention in _that way_ the entire time? Why hadn’t she said anything? Was throwing pretzels girl code for something?

The bell rang again and the next man sat down just as a waiter tripped and sent a tray of empty wine glasses smashing into the floor. The waiter, in a panic, then tried to scoop up a bit of the glass and ended up cutting his hand. He let out a yelp and was soon escorted to the back by another waiter and another was hastily sweeping up the glass.

“Could you cover him while he’s getting his hand cleaned?” Leia asked, already shoving another tray of wine toward him. “Thank you, son. I appreciate it.” And then, just like his father, Leia disappeared before he could argue.

Ben repressed a snarl and hoisted the tray high enough to sit on his shoulder and made his way toward the long table. He set a few glasses down intermittedly, seeing who needed more and who needed to be cut off (honestly, it was barely 6pm. Who was drunk already?) and eventually made it to the portion of the table where Y/N was.

“You’re fulfilled being an accountant?” The guy sitting opposite her asked with a scoff.

“Yeah. I’ve always liked numbers. I think it’s fun-”

“You lead a very pathetic life, you know?”

And then Ben wasn’t entirely sure what happened next but he found himself looking at the man in question who now had an entire lap full of wine.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” Ben said with absolutely no emotion in his voice.

The guy just stood up and walked toward the bathroom, not caring about the glasses sliding off his lap and crashing to ground. The bell rang again and the next guy started to move toward Y/N but Ben pushed him around her chair and to the next one. He started to let out an affronted squawk but was quickly quiet when Ben shoved him down into the seat. “You can’t do that, man!”

“Ben-” Y/N started.

Ben quickly discarded the tray and took the empty seat, thankful he wore black trousers to work today so the red wine wouldn’t stain. “Hi, I’m Ben. And I’m an idiot.”

She stared at him for a moment before laughing and shaking her head. “Yes, yes, you are.” She tilted her head to side for a moment before sighing. “You’ve just wasted an awful amount of wine.”

“It’s okay, I know the owners. And I had to rescue you. These guys are awful.”

Y/N laughed again. “I never knew you had a hero complex, Ben.”

“It only comes out around you, I think.”

Another blush lit up her cheeks and ignored how one of her friends poked her side, hissing something about how “this wasn’t supposed to be about him.”

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay.”

Ben reached out and gently grabbed her hands in his. “No. It isn’t.” He rolled his shoulders and looked her square in the face, just now noticing how beautiful her E/C eyes were. How had he not seen that before? “I want you to know that your life is not boring or pathetic. I like that you think numbers are fun because I’m shit at numbers. I like that you drink the same type of wine every time I see you so I can always know what to get you. I…want you to throw pretzels at me. Every day.”

The largest smile Ben had ever broke across Y/N’s face and she surged across the table and Ben could feel her breath against his lips just as the bell rang. “Come find me afterward,” she whispered before pulling back.

“You’re a cruel woman,” Ben said as he stood up, feeling how the wine had completely soaked through his pants.

She just laughed.

But Ben did as she said and waited. He watched her sit through ten more dates and smirked every time her eyes shot to him when the guy was talking. This was a test, Ben surmised, to see if he would stay and endure. Or maybe this was payback for making her wait a year to finally get his attention. She didn’t need to know she had always been the sole holder of his affections, ever since she had walked in through the front doors over a year ago. Apparently, he was just very, very, very bad at expressing his own interests or noticing anyone else’s.

But, eventually, the speed daters filtered out. Some exchanged numbers and Lando left with a wad of cash, half of which he gave over to Han, begrudgingly of course.

“That was the deal, Lando. I host the event, I get half.”

(Lando grumbled the entire way to his car.)

Y/N helped her friends, who had their fair share of the free wine, into taxis before sneaking back into the Falcon.

Ben looked up from wiping the bar and smiled at her. She sat down in her usual spot and quickly threw a pretzel at him with a laugh. Ben just groaned. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

Ben abandoned his rag and leaned across the bar, their noses barely touching. “So, do I have to wait another three minutes?”

“Your jokes are terrible,” Y/N before pressing her lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partially inspired by an AU prompt listed here: http://onetruepairingideas.tumblr.com/post/137058944267/food-service-aus
> 
> I have a handful more for Ben/Kylo lined up and then a few for Obi-Wan Kenobi because damnit, he deserves more love.
> 
> If there are any prompts you'd specifically like to see me write for, just let me know in the comments, thanks!


	3. ...Obi-Wan was an Optometrist? (Glasses-An Eye Doctor AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hand slipped.

“Can you read that sign up here?” Padmé, asked, already knowing the answer.

“Pretty sure it says Sunshine Road.”

“It definitely says Summerset Lane. That’s less than a fifty feet in front of you, Y/N. When was the last time you had your eyes checked?” As the car slowed to a stop for a red light, Padmé pulled Y/N’s glasses off her face and stuck them over her own eyes. “Your prescription isn’t even that strong but these glasses have seen better days. I can’t even count how many scratches I see right now. Didn’t you have these glasses back in undergrad?”

Y/N pulled her glasses back and slid them over her nose with a blush. “I like my glasses.”

“I’ve told you like eight million times. You need to update your prescription. I was handing out sentencing the other day and you were squinting the whole time. I saw you. You looked like this.” Padmé scrunched up her face, making her stupidly-perfect features small and squished.

The light turned green and Y/N sighed as the car moved forward. “I didn’t even know you saw me.”

“I know you come to all of my hearings, you’re my good luck charm.” Padmé smiled.

“I thought that was Anakin,” Y/N quipped, mentioning Padmé’s fiancé and a renowned engineer.

“That’s different,” Padmé laughed and lightly nudged Y/N’s shoulder.

This was how their relationship was since its formation. Padmé was confident and outspoken while Y/N was a bit awkward and preferred to let others do the talking. They balanced each other. And this carried over through undergrad, their master’s degrees, and into the workforce. Padmé was the youngest judge to ever be sworn in in the tri-state area and had dreams of one day ruling the country. Y/N, on the other hand, was a ghost writer for a famous true-crime novelist. She regularly attended hearings Padmé presided over to gain inspiration.

“Anyway, I don’t know why you’re so adamant about this,” Y/N said. “I usually walk everywhere and I spend most of my time staring at my computer—I don’t need my glasses for that. I’m perfectly fine, really. I like my glasses.”

“They make you look twelve.”

“That’s rude.”

Padmé just laughed. “Well, since I knew you were going to be stubborn about this, I asked Anakin if he knew any eye doctors. And lo and behold, his friend Obi is one. I should’ve known that, I love Obi. He told me he was a doctor but not an eye doctor-”

“I’m going to kill you,” Y/N cut her off as she noticed where Padmé was driving. The pristine building in front of them had neatly trimmed bushes in front, unnaturally green grass, glistened in the sunlight, and proudly held the sign “Oculus” which was spelled out in light blue lettering. “You told me we were getting lunch.”

“We will,” Padmé said as she put the car in park. “After you get your eyes checked.”

Y/N begrudgingly unbuckled herself and followed Padmé into the building.

The receptionist, an older woman with graying brown hair, greeted them with a smile. “Checking in?”

“Yes, the appointment’s for Y/N L/N.”

As Y/N wondered if there was anything in the sleek white and blue waiting room she could use to kill Padmé, the receptionist looked on her computer. “Ah, yes. Here she is and I see we already have her insurance information. I’ll let Doctor Kenobi you’re here. Please, have a seat.” She then got up and walked away.

“How’d you get my insurance information?” Y/N asked as she sat down in one of the few high backed chairs. She hated to admit it but the blue fabric felt very luxurious, almost setting her at ease. Almost. A father was watching his two children play on the small playmat on the other side of the waiting room. All the toys looks like they were inspired by space. Everything within eyesight was either blue or white. Soft corners and plush fabrics were everywhere. The optometrists and ophthalmologists (whatever the difference is) must make a ton of money…

“I have a key to your house and I know you keep all of your important documents alphabetized in the small cabinet in your kitchen.”

“You know me too well.”

“Probably.” Padmé said as she sat next to her. “I checked all of his records and he is spotless. Not a single complaint ever filed against him. And, I know him personally. He’s fantastic. I really think you’ll like him.”

“If he pokes my eye out-”

“He’s not going to poke your eye out, Y/N. Is that why you haven’t gone to an eye doctor since I’ve met you?”

Y/N sighed. “I had a bad experience when I got these. The doctor’s hand slipped or something and that stupid machine that blows air into your eye fell on my face. It cracked my cheekbone and I had to wear an eyepatch. Senior year…was not fun.”

“You’ve had those glasses since your senior year of high school?”

“That’s literally what just came out of my mouth. I don’t know why you ask questions you already know the answer to.”

“You only get one pair of eyes, Y/N. You need to take care of them.” Padmé had a bad habit of scolding Y/N. It was like having a mother for a friend. And Padmé didn’t even have kids yet.

“Right. Okay. Sure.”

The door leading into the exam rooms and an older man stepped out. “Mister Harrison?”

The father turned and acknowledged the doctor before scooping up both his kids with ease. “It’s good to see you, Qui-Gon.”

“You too,” The man said with a smile. He gently poked each of the kid’s foreheads. “Have you two been behaving?”

“Yes, Doctor Jinn!” They answered in unison before disappearing into the back.

Y/N felt a small smile pushed at her lips at the scene and Padmé nudged her shoulder with her own. “You have hearts in your eyes.”

“That was just so cute. I love kids.”

“You do know you need a guy to have kids, right?”

“Sperm banks are a thing now,” Y/N retorted.

“Hello, Padmé!” a lightly accented voice called.

Both Y/N and Padmé turned to see a man with reddish hair and bright blue eyes walking toward them. He had a turquoise button-down tucked into expensive black trousers. A bright smile was stretched across his face, revealing perfect teeth. A bit of reddish stubble was growing and that was when Y/N felt her mouth completely fill with saliva.

Padmé stood and wrapped him in a quick hug. “It’s good to see you, Obi. You’ve bailed on your last few dinners with me and Anakin.”

“I detest being the third wheel,” he said with a chuckle, his blue eyes filled with mirth. He suddenly turned to look at Y/N who actually wished she could be swallowed by the comfy chair. “Hello, you must be Y/N. I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He held out a hand to her and she softly took it, trying very hard not to focus on how perfectly his hands found a balance between soft and calloused. “Padmé says you’ve been avoiding the eye doctor for quite some time.”

“I think she’s being a bit dramatic. My eyes are perfectly fine. As is my prescription.” Her voice, however, was definitely half an octave higher than usual. She noticed that she was still clutching his hand and quickly retracted her grip and clasped her hands behind her back as she stood up. Y/N was sure her face was six shades of scarlet right now.

“She hasn’t seen an eye doctor since high school. Please, Obi, you have to work your magic on her. She’s being quite stubborn.”

“Ah, well, my magic never worked on you, Padmé. Your friend might be immune too,” he said with a wink in Padmé’s direction. She simply rolled her eyes. “Please, Miss Y/N, follow me. I’ll make this as painless as possible.”

Padmé had to shove Y/N to get her to follow the beautiful doctor through the swinging door. He silently led her through a few hallways before he stopped at a dark room. The inside only lit by a dim light, casting a hazy yellow light over the sleek room.

“Please, take a seat.” He gestured to a familiar-looking chair seated behind a large machine.

“Really, my prescription is fine. I’m very sorry to waste your ti-”

“I will bring Padmé back here if you don’t cooperate.” He said it with a smile, as if he didn’t know he was threatening her life.

Y/N grumbled the entire way and sat down like a petulant child. Flashes of the machine hurtling toward her face crossed her mind for a moment before she took a steadying breath.

Obi-Wan settled into the rolling chair on the other side of the machine with a frown. “Are you that adverse to being here?”

“What?”

“You’re practically shooting knives out of your eyes.”

Y/N’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. I just had a bad experience last time.”

He tilted his head to the side and Y/N felt her heart skip a stupid beat. He looked like a puppy. “What happened?”

“The machine fell into my face. Broke my cheekbone and I had to wear an eyepatch for a month.”

Obi pulled his lips into mouth, attempting to keep his smile from appearing. “I’m terribly sorry that happened to you,” he said, rushing through the words but soon the smile crept up and he chuckled. “I’m so sorry. But really, did that happen? Those machines are bolted down, usually.”

“Yes, it actually happened,” Y/N retorted, mildly insulted. “You can look at my medical records if you want.”

Obi shook his head with a smile and wheeled his way over to her side. “I will take your word for it, okay? And I promise that all of my equipment is bolted down and has no chance of falling on you. Okay?”

Y/N stared at him for a moment, trying to see if he was being condescending or not but could only conclude that he was even better looking up close. She really needed to stop trusting beautiful people just because they’re beautiful. “Fine.”

He smiled and gently reached up to take her cracked and scratched glasses off. A blush instantly took over her cheeks and she was thankful that he seemed more interested in her glasses at the moment. He looked through them for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re killing me. These are falling apart. You’re lucky they haven’t shattered and blinded you.” Obi turned to frown at her and the heat on her face intensified. He folded the glasses and put him in his shirt pocket. “You’re not going to walk out of here with those. Ever.” He pulled out his Retinoscope, the small tool with the light, and held it up. He scooted closer a bit and clicked it on, shooting the light into her eyes one at time before doing it again. “You have absolutely gorgeous E/C eyes, Miss Y/N. I could hardly see them behind those glasses.”

“Um, thank you…?” Honestly, this was the longest conversation Y/N had had with another person beside her author, editor, and Padmé and Anakin in an embarrassingly long time.

Obi chuckled as he pocketed the small tool. “No, really. You have beautiful eyes. They match the rest of you.” He said it so casually Y/N nearly missed it; she had been so focused on just watching his mouth move.

Y/N suddenly felt that it should be illegal to be that handsome.

“You don’t have to lie, Doctor Kenobi. You already got me in the chair.” She frowned. She had never really thought of herself as beautiful, mostly bookish and a little mousy but Padmé tried her best to get her to dress to the nines and do her hair (which she now usually did after being scolded through the entirety of undergrad by the always-fashionable Padmé). But the doctor was kind for trying.

“Could you put your chin on the little platform for me?”

Y/N stared at the machine for a moment. And then a moment longer.

“Would it help if I said you could hold it?” 

Embarrassed but trying to push through, Y/N nodded. She wrapped her hands around the base of the machine and felt a bit of tension in her shoulders release.

“Here,” Obi-Wan said, “I’ll even help you hold it.” His larger hands slid over hers. They were slightly rough but comforting…strong. 

Y/N bit back a smile as she finally tucked her chin onto the platform and looked right into the light of the machine.

“I wasn’t lying, you know. I honestly think you’re beautiful.” He settled into his side of the machine and looked through it. “There’s going to be slight puff of air in each of your eyes, okay? I don’t want to startle you.”

Y/N paused for a moment before sighing. “Okay.”

As promised, a small puff of air hit her eye. She blinked rapidly out of instinct and recoiled completely when the next puff hit. Y/N lightly poked at her eyes with her fingers to stop the watering but soon stopped when she noticed Obi staring at her, his head once again tilted just to the side. 

“Sorry,” she said with a blush. 

He just smiled and clicked on the charts on the wall behind him. Wheeling his chair around to her side, he used a small clicker to quickly push through a few charts. His shoulder brushed hers and Y/N bit her lip. 

This was stupid-it felt like she was in middle school again. 

“Now, without your glasses, can you read the first line for me?” 

She rattled off the sequence of letters with ease. It helped that they were the size of her fist.

But as the letters got smaller, her eyes became more squinted and eventually Obi just laughed and patted her leg.

Y/N pretended to not feel the shocks running up her spine.

“Okay, let me just…” he drifted off as he reached across and grabbed the swiveling phoropter and adjusted a few measurements before pulling it in front of her. It took a few tries but he finally found the right balance of refractions to help Y/N see clearly. 

It probably only would have taken a minute if she hadn’t been staring at him, grabbing glances of him every few seconds. He had a strong profile and she could have sworn she saw muscles just waiting to rip the seams of that stupid button-down’s sleeves. _God, he was handsome. It should be illegal to be that handsome. I’m going to kill Padmé-_

“Well, Y/N, it looks like your prescription actually needed to be strengthened a bit, but nothing too drastic.” Obi wrote the numbers down on one of his prescription pads and stood up, Y/N following suit. “Let’s get you set up with some new glasses, shall we?” 

Y/N frowned at Obi’s turned back. Wasn’t he just supposed to give her the prescription and she would go get her own lenses?

She followed him through the halls again and through a series of doors before they finally stopped in a small backroom filled with empty frames of all shapes and colors. He plucked pair off the nearest shelf and easily slid them over her nose and ears.

Once again, another blush lit up her cheeks as his soft fingertips brushed against her skin. “Um…what are you doing?”

“I’m finding you frames that will not make you look like a grandmother or a kid with their first pair of glasses.” He discarded the first pair, grabbed another and put those on her. “You should show off those beautiful eyes of yours.” He repeated the process a few times, each time his touches seeming to linger a little longer or he would find the opportunity to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear—or maybe that was her pre-pubescent imagination coming back with a vengeance.

Finally, he stepped back with a smile and held up a mirror to show her the frames he liked. And Y/N loathed to admit it, but it was perfect.

Dammit.

It was just another reason he was perfect.

“They’re perfect,” Y/N said as she gently pulled the frames away from her face.

He gently took them from her, his fingers once again sliding against her skin, sending a wave of goosebumps up her arm. “Fantastic, I’ll get these set up with your prescription and you can pick them up in about an hour. Sound all right?”

“Sure.”

He gave her another one of his megawatt, near-blinding smiles and led her back to the waiting room where Padmé was busy typing away on her phone. She looked up and smiled.  
“See? You survived.”

“Could you bring her back in an hour? Her new lenses will be ready by then.”

“Of course, Obi. I’ll be sure to take extra good care of her, just as I’m sure you did.” Padmé winked and Y/N suddenly felt the urge to commit murder.

The doctor just laughed and looked down at Y/N who briefly met his eyes before finding the carpet very interesting. “She was a perfect patient.”

“I’m sure she was,” Padmé hummed. “C’mon. We are having lunch down the street and Ani’s joining us. Would you like to come too, Obi?”

“I’d love to, but I have a few more patients this afternoon before I’m afforded any sort of free time.” He glanced back at Y/N for a moment. “But I’ll be sure to see you again, I’m sure.”

“Time to go,” Y/N blurted out, her blush reaching astronomical temperatures. “Thanks, Doctor Kenobi. Bye!” She then nearly sprinted to the car.

**

Anakin couldn’t stop laughing as Padmé recounted the story to him. Y/N just rolled her eyes. “It’s not that funny.”

“It’s hilarious. I’ve never seen anything so awkward. And poor Obi had heart eyes the whole time and you ran away from him.”

Anakin just laughed harder before Y/N threw a carrot stick at him, hitting him in the face.

“Stop laughing!”

“Well, you should just stop being so awkward and hilarious and I wouldn’t laugh so much.”

Padmé shushed her boyfriend and then looked at her longtime friend, her smile was soft and pleading. It was the smile Y/N knew she used back when she was the DA and needed to get the jury on her side. “You know, Obi is single.”

“Very single,” Anakin chimed in before taking a large bite of his burger.

“No.”

“Why not?” Padmé asked, that same smile on her face. “He’s obviously attracted to you.”

“No, he isn’t.”

Anakin frowned. “Are you that blind?” He turned to Padmé. “Is she that blind?”

Padmé shushed him again. “Y/N, listen to me. Obi-Wan finds you attractive. And I know you also find him attractive by the way your face was six shades of red by the time he escorted you out to me at the end of the appointment.”

“I have a sunburn.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Shut up, Anakin!”

“Y/N,” Padmé said, pulling her attention away from the chuckling Anakin, “please, trust me on this.”

Y/N just angrily bit into another carrot stick.

**

The waiting room was a bit busier when Y/N arrived back at Oculus to retrieve her new lenses. There was another family in the corner, a few grumpy looking teenagers with their parents, and an older couple who were both trying to straighten out their wire frames.

Y/N approached the front desk and opened her mouth to ask the receptionist where she could pick up her new glasses when she was tapped on the shoulder.

She spun, startled, and came face to face with a smiling Obi-Wan. “Hello, I was wondering if you’d actually run off without your glasses.” He chuckled at his own joke. “I was afraid I’d scared you off.” There was a new, black glasses case in his large hands.

“Me? No. I wouldn’t go through all of this to not get new glasses. That would be…” she gulped, embarrassingly loudly, when Obi stepped closer to her, “very stupid.” Her voice became breathy and she wasn’t sure if it was because of his close proximity or her brain decided to try to act seductive. Either way, Y/N felt very, very stupid.

But he just smiled again and handed her the case. “I hope to see you again, Y/N. You and your beautiful eyes.” And then the bastard winked and walked away, leaving Y/N standing with her new glasses.

**

A few weeks passed and Padmé had made a bit of a show of putting Obi’s number into Y/N’s phone one day between trials.

“What are you doing?”

“Obi said you have pretty eyes three times when I had lunch with him yesterday. That’s code for give her my number. You’re welcome.”

“Where did you learn code?”

But still, Y/N didn’t call or text. Surely Padmé was mistaken, right? He was just being polite. And why was she a topic of conversation anyway?

Today, Y/N found herself uninspired to work on her client’s latest book. Sure, she was inspired but not to write about a political thriller. For over an hour, she had caught herself trying to write characters that sounded and looked suspiciously like Obi-Wan. It was a bit ridiculous, really. They barely knew each other and here she was…pining.

So, she took matters into her own hands and headed over to the courthouse for inspiration. Padmé had a full lineup of trials and hearings today so she might as well stick around. 

Y/N waved at the familiar bailiff and settled herself into the usual bench toward the back.

She hated to admit it, but everything had been loads clearer since updating her glasses. It was like she lived in a blu-ray.

Not that she would give Padmé the satisfaction of knowing that.

The trial started and ended quickly, with the defendant being found guilty, and soon the next one started. Overall, it was a usual day filled with arguments, gavel pounding, and snarky comments from Padmé.

But, just as her third trial started, the mother of the defendant from the first trial rushed into the courtroom, brandishing a gun.

Shots were fired and Y/N only remembered being tugged to the ground between the benches and slamming her head against the tile floor.

When she woke up, Anakin was sitting near her bedside and Padmé was sitting on her bed, busily tucking the bed coverings tighter around Y/N. The blaring fluorescent lights above her gave away the fact that she was at the hospital. Padmé explained that the mother of the defendant who had been found guilty had wanted to kill Padmé for the verdict. She had killed two guards outside of the courtroom and nearly missed killing Padmé’s bailiff before she was knocked out by a cop. Unfortunately, when Y/N had been pulled to the ground by another concerned citizen, she managed to get knocked out after knocking her head against the edge of the seat.

And break her new glasses.

“You’ll have a pretty cool scar like me,” Anakin said as he tapped his own facial scar on the side of his eye.

“Scar buddies,” Y/N mused with a slight smile, trying to ignore the throbbing of her head. The stitches over her eye were itchy. “I guess I’ll have to get more glasses.”

A smile suddenly broke across Padmé’s face and Y/N once again felt frightened, but for an entirely different reason.

“Actually, I might have made a phone call or two while you were unconscious…”

Y/N looked at Anakin for answers but only found him smirking as well. They were in on it together!

The door to her room opened and Obi-Wan poked his head in. A smile slid across his face as he finally came into the room and softly shut the door behind him. In his arms were a small bouquet of flowers and another set of glasses, identical to ones she had lost.

“Y/N, how’re you feeling?”

“I’m okay.” When she thought Obi-Wan wasn’t looking, she kicked Padmé. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here-”

He waved her comment away and set the flowers on her nightstand before seating himself on the other side of her bed. He handed her the new glasses which she quickly put on, ignoring how they lightly brushed her stitches. “I couldn’t leave one of my patients without their glasses. I’d lose sleep.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to be the reason you lost sleep.”

Anakin started to laugh only to half-heartedly turn it into a cough when Padmé kicked him. “Well,” she said as she stood up, “I have to go talk to reporters and Anakin said something about cheesecake.”

“I did?”

“You did. Get up. We’re leaving.”

“But-” Y/N started.

“We’ll see you two tomorrow!” Padmé called as she and Anakin shuffled out the door. There was silence in the room for a moment before Padmé poked her head back in. “Also, in case you were wondering, the attraction is mutual and you’d be dumb to not act on it.” The door closed again.

Y/N was absolutely mortified.

“I-I, um, you see-”

Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head. “I’m so sorry,” he chuckled.

“Why?”

“I might have gotten drunk with Anakin and confessed something.” He wiped a hand over his eyes. “Never get drunk with Anakin, by the way. He has this weird ability to get you to admit secrets. And trying to get you to reenact stuff he found on YouTube.”

Y/N bit her lip as she looked at him. He seemed to have become even more attractive and she wasn’t sure if it was the pain-killers coursing through her but she was feeling a bit brave. Or stupid. “So, you still think I have beautiful eyes?”

“Absolutely gorgeous. It matches the rest of you.”

“Well, um, you have pretty gorgeous eyes too. And the rest of you isn’t too bad either.”

Obi-Wan laughed and Y/N’s already-fluttering heart missed several beats.

“Ten bucks says that they’re both outside that door, trying to listen.” She tilted her head toward the door with a smile.

“Well, shall we give them something to talk about?” he scooted a little closer on the bed.

“We can’t hurt their precious egos. We’ll never hear the end of it.” Her small hands slid up his arms to rest on his shoulders as his face neared hers.

“We’re such good friends.” His breath was brushing across her lips as they came closer and closer.

Their eyes locked for a moment before he closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers.

She felt Obi-Wan smile against her before the kiss turned passionate. Her hands went to his hair as his encircled her waist. Even with the pain and strange light-headedness from the pain killers, Y/N felt absolutely alive. Incandescently happy just by being in this optometrist’s arms. He held her a little tighter, pulling her away from the pillows as she tugged a little tighter at his hair, receiving a groan from him in response. Her glasses were askew when they broke apart for air and he smiled and gently pushed them back into their proper alignment. He pressed his forehead against hers, careful to avoid her stitches.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you. You’ve got like six kinds of pain killers going through you and I-”

“You were absolutely perfect but if you keep regretting kissing me I’m going to smack you. I enjoyed it. I’d like to do it again. Very soon. Preferably on a date.”

“Did…did you just ask yourself on a date for me?”

“Yes, you’re welcome.” She giggled and pressed a hand against his chest. Maybe the pain killers were making her loopy.

“Friday? I’ll pick you up at seven?”

She nodded before pressing her lips against his again, just briefly.

Then the door burst open. Padmé and Anakin stood in the doorway then quickly turned toward each other and high fived. “Told you it would work!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by an AU prompt found here: http://onetruepairingideas.tumblr.com/post/125636525525/modern-aus-i-want-to-happen


	4. ...Ben had a Childhood Sweetheart? (Pranks-A Modern AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by onepoundofbacon who wanted a childhood sweethearts au with plenty of parental Han & Leia. I'm not entirely sure I achieved either of those things...but I tried.

Ben could remember the first time he met Y/N. He was five, she was three and their parents had both decided to take a trip up the coast. It was the middle of summer and the beaches were crowded, the sun was hot, and the stench of sunscreen was everywhere.

Y/N’s parents and Han and Leia worked together and had decided they all needed a vacation. It wasn't a monetary issue but they all rented a large beach house on a small peninsula off the coast.

Ben was just excited to finally swim in the ocean instead of a pool. As soon as his parents’ car parked, he was out of the car, dragging his Spiderman suitcase with him along the gravel driveway, up the wooden steps of the porch, and he shoved into the house.

“Hello, Ben!”

Little Ben stopped short when he heard the familiar voice. He looked up to see Mr. L/N looking down at him, a broad smile on his face. Mr. and Mrs. L/N had both come over to the Solo household for small get-togethers and he’d seen them when Han or Leia had to take him to work with them once in a blue moon. “Hi, Mr. L/N. What’re you doing here?”

“Ben, manners,” Leia scolded as she appeared behind him, Han trailing behind with their own suitcase. She hugged Mr. L/N with a smile. “Glad to see you made it all right.”

Mrs. L/N walked around the corner, her hand gently linked with a small girl’s fingers. She had bright e/c eyes and her h/c hair was pulled up on top of her head, making it look like a strange firework. “Hi, Ben! Have you met Y/N?”

Ben just stared at the pudgy little girl with a little frown on his freckled face. “No.”

Mrs. L/N nudged the little girl forward toward Ben. “Say hi, sweetheart.”

The little girl wobbled her way toward Ben and then stopped only a few steps in front of him. She squinted at him and then, without missing a beat, reared back and smacked him.

The parents scrambled to separate their children. Tears started to prick at Ben’s eyes as he pressed a hand over his throbbing cheek.

_“I don’t like his face!”_ Y/N screamed.

**

Despite Y/N’s bratty attitude, the two sets of parents still deemed it fun to get together for two weeks every summer at the same beach house. Of course, they still saw each other every day at work but it seemed like they had grown closer since they started vacationing together. At least, that was what Ben had been told when he asked why he had to be subjected to Y/N every summer. He was just thankful they went to different schools-Ben to the private boys academy and Y/N to the public school down the street.

When Ben was 10 and Y/N was eight, they had to help each other put on sunscreen. This, of course, ended up being a disaster. Neither one of them wanted to touch the other so both of them ended up with bright sunburns with random streaks of unburnt skin in between.

The parents seemed to notice that their children hated each other—as if the glares they sent each other over the table at every meal wasn’t clue enough—but decided to ignore it.  
The actual fighting (which was mostly hair pulling and pushing and taking away the other’s toys) ended after the second summer together and they mostly just glared at each other whenever they crossed paths.

It didn’t seem to hurt the parents’ friendship at all. Leia and Y/N’s mom jokingly called it the warzone. Han and Y/N’s father just hoped the fighting wouldn’t resume.

**

When Ben was thirteen and Y/N was eleven, they were both even more silently antagonistic.

Ben put Y/N’s hand in warm water while she was sleeping. So, in retaliation, Y/N scrubbed the toilet with Ben’s toothbrush. He threw up when he found out.

The pranks continued to escalate with every passing summer.

So, when they reunited for another beach house vacation when Ben was fourteen and she was twelve, Ben was snooping through Y/N’s things for another way to maybe make her upset.

After all, what else was he supposed to do for entertainment when it was raining and the cable was out?

He had snuck upstairs while she was busy putting together a puzzle with the moms and started to rifle through her duffle bag. He found the usual; clothing, underwear, her tattered teddy bear, and swimsuits. But, toward the bottom, his fingers brushed against something square. Thinking it was her diary, Ben eagerly tugged it out from under the mass of clothing. When he found himself holding a box of tampons, he flung them across the room. The box spilled its contents all over her room and Ben hurriedly back downstairs to watch the dads try to get the DVD player to work.

When there was an agitated shriek a few minutes later, Ben tried to shove himself farther into the couch cushions.

Y/N thundered down the stairs and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. “Why’d you throw my stuff all over my room? That’s so rude!” Ben was at a loss for words when he watched tears gather in her eyes. He had never seen her cry before—even when she had been stung by a jellyfish. “Why would you do that?” Her voice started to squeak with emotion.

The moms then came into the living room and the dads turned around, abandoning their own distractions.

“That’s just…just so mean! I’ve never gone through your stuff like that. I always put it back where I found it and you just threw it _everywhere_!” Y/N pushed her hands over her eyes and let out a sob.

Ben was just frozen to the couch at that point, staring at the sobbing girl in front of him.

“What did you do, Ben?” Han hollered.

“I don’t even know!” Ben responded.

Mrs. L/N ushered her daughter out of the room and the pair was quickly followed by Mr. L/N. Then Leia and Han rounded on their son, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Ben quickly spilled what he had done and Han instantly took a step back and looked at his wife. “You take this one. I had to deal with the morning…stuff.” Han waved his hand with a grimace and walked away.

Leia’s stern expression lessened just a bit and she lowered herself to sit next to Ben on the couch. “Really, you should’ve learned this in school already,” she muttered before sighing. “So, you know how your father mentioned those changes to you a couple of weeks ago?”

“Yeah…” Ben drifted off, not entirely sure where his mom was going with this conversation.

Leia pursed her lips for a moment before she got up and left the room only to come back a moment later with a yellow booklet.

On the front cover, in bold red letters, was the title: Female REPO Systems

She sat beside him and flipped it open. “It’s much easier with visual aids, I think.” Leia cleared her throat. “So, when a girl reaches maturity…”

Ben would’ve given his right arm to be anywhere else. He never needed to hear his mother talk about ovaries or uteruses ever again. And he really never wanted to hear her talk about how the “lining of the uterus actually peels away from the wall—and this is really quite fascinating, Ben—I wish you would pay more attention.”

When Leia finally closed the book, Ben was sure he wanted to just crawl in a hole for the rest of the vacation.

“Also,” Leia started again, apparently not yet done. “Sometimes, when this time of the month rolls around it can make women seem a bit more emotional. It doesn’t happen to everyone and it is drastically overplayed in all sorts of media but it does happen. The best thing to do is just to let them have their space and maybe get them food they like. And flowers, if they like flowers.” Leia chuckled to herself as if there was a joke hidden in there somewhere.

Eventually, the drama subsided and everyone sat down for dinner. The kids were quiet and Ben avoided looking at Y/N. It wasn’t that he was grossed about by the prospect of periods—he just felt really bad about making her cry.

All the things they’d been through together, he had never made her cry. Sure, she had screamed at him, shot makeshift projectiles at his head, and threatened to kill him but crying? No.

So, while still disgruntled and a bit confused the next morning, he poked his dad until he woke up.

“What do you need, kid?” Han grumbled with bleary eyes.

“Can you take me to the store?”

And that is how Ben wound up spending most of his allowance on a bouquet of daisies and a box of chocolates.

“Will this be enough?” Ben asked his dad as they walked to the car.

“Well, you know, sometimes it’s too much and then not enough. You’ve just got to learn the difference.” Han clapped his son on the shoulder before driving them home.

Ben saw Y/N working on the puzzle when they got home. The moms and Mr. L/N had gone for the usual morning walk around the beach before the crowds rolled in, leaving her alone. Han pushed Ben toward her with a smirk which made Ben scowl.

He squared his shoulders and walked toward her, feeling his palms sweat.

“He-hey, Y/N.”

She turned toward him. Her eyes were narrowed. “What?”

“I, um, just wanted to say sorry.” He timidly walked toward her and revealed the flowers and chocolates from behind his back and quickly set them on the table before quickly stepping back. He watched Y/N stare at the gifts for a moment before she popped open the box of chocolates and tossed one into her mouth. She chewed it and then smelled the flowers.

And then she finally smiled and Ben didn’t even care that she had a bit of a smear of chocolate across her teeth. “Thank you, Ben.”

**

The summer after that was still filled with pranks but it seemed decidedly more lighthearted. Ben filled her bed with cotton balls after Y/N scared him by taping a terrifying picture of Nicolas Cage in places only he would find—like the underside of the toilet lid in his bathroom, inside his shower, and under his sheets.

It was friendly. And it was strange.

The parents even gave each other strange looks when Ben and Y/N would joke across the dinner table instead of glaring. They became friends and regaled each other with stories from their separate schools and how they both thought their parents were a bit strange. It was eas and Ben found himself wondering if it could have always been like this.

When the summer came to a close, Ben felt himself freeze as Y/N threw her arms around him in a tight hug before she jogged over to her parents’ waiting car.

Leia just chuckled behind him before ushering her son into the car.

**

When Y/N was fourteen, it seemed she had grown into a woman overnight.

Gone was the baby fat and messy hair. In its place were a well-maintained haircut, makeup, and gentle curves.

Ben froze, again, when she hugged him at the beginning of the summer. She smelled like flowers.

“It’s good to see you Ben. Jeez, have you gotten taller?” She laughed and then helped her mom carry the suitcase into the house.

Han nudged his shoulder. “You’ve been frozen to the spot.” He chuckled.

Ben was never going to live this down.

He repeatedly told himself that she was too young. He was a junior now and she was just a freshman. It was weird. They’d grown up together, hadn’t they? They were basically siblings. Right?

Y/N continued to prank him; shaving cream instead of whipped cream on his pie, sand in his board shorts, and covering his bar of soap with clear nail polish so it never lathers. 

Ben attempted to keep up and hid all of her beach towels and then all of her flip flops (he threw them on the roof) but this seemed to backfire. She just flounced around in her bikini in front of him and had to drip dry. And then she got a splinter on her foot from the old boardwalk and she made Ben give her a piggyback ride all the way back to the house as she sang loudly and off key in his ear.

No, it didn’t seem like his pranks worked at all. They still talked but now Y/N had the bad habit of sneaking into his room late at night and waking him up so they could sit on the beach and watch the whales breach the dark water while they shared stories and pretended to know about the world around them.

On the last day of that summer, the parents announced that they had decided to buy the beach house from the owners. They could now come and go as they pleased and they said the kids could use it when they were older.

It was Ben’s first sip of champagne—which Y/N’s mom insisted they use to “celebrate” the occasion—and it seemed like it went immediately to his head because when he watched Y/N take a sip of her own he could’ve sworn she never looked more beautiful.

He blamed it on the bubbles.

**

Ben got a summer job and missed the next handful of summers. He caught up with Y/N’s shenanigans through sparse text messages and emails and the random post card she would send on her adventures he could never keep up with. (Why was she in London? When did she go to Argentina? Did she actually mean it when she finished each correspondence with a “wish you were here”?)

As he started his last year in undergrad, he found himself stressed and barely holding it together. His parents were supportive and he constantly found himself picking up the phone to call his mom (and sometimes his dad) to ask for advice. He could tell they were worried.

“You’ve never been this stressed before, Ben.” “Are you sure you don’t want to take a semester off?” “We’re always here for you, honey.” “Just breathe, Ben. You can pull through this.” “There’s nothing wrong with needing a break.”

It seemed his parents had all the right things to say but it didn’t help. He still felt like he was drowning in life.

But then Han called, out of the blue, just as a break approached. “Son, why don’t you go up to the beach? Let yourself forget for a moment.”

And in that moment, Ben thought his dad was a genius.

Without telling his roommates, Ben packed a bag and drove through the night to the beach house. He found the spare key behind the bush in the back and let himself in. The scent of the ocean was peaceful and the old house still creaked and groaned with the wind. The house was frozen in time. Absolutely nothing had changed.

He settled into his old room and finally had a goodnight’s sleep.

But when the scent of pancakes woke him the next morning, he knew something was wrong. He took his old t-ball bat from the closet and snuck down the stairs with it posed to strike whoever it was in the house. And what kind of intruder made pancakes anyway?

He turned the corner into kitchen and frozen.

Y/N stood in front of him, effortlessly flipping a pancake in the pan before sliding it onto the large platter off to the side of the stove. Her hair had gotten a little longer, she was a bit taller too, and those jeans she was wearing seemed painted on. When had she actually grown up? She turned to him and smiled.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She looked at the bat in his hands and arched an eyebrow. “Really, Ben? You’re going to bludgeon me to death for making you pancakes? I’m insulted.”

Ben feebly tucked the bat into the nearest corner and stepped closer to her. “What’re you doing here?” He grabbed a pancake, avoiding her slap to his hand, and took a large bite. “Not that I’m complaining, these are delicious.”

She stood on her tip toes for a moment and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s good to see you too.” Y/N turned off the stove and grabbed a pair of plates from the cabinet and a set of forks. “Let’s eat.”

They shared the pancakes, butter, and syrup without a word. The only sound they heard was the crashing of waves against the abandoned beach and an occasional gull letting out a wail. It was so simple. It was like he had never stopped seeing her every summer. It was like she had always been there.

Every passing moment, Ben felt a bit more tension seep out of his shoulders until he could feel every deep breath he took and it no longer felt like he was being smothered by some unseen force.

“You wanna take a walk?” She asked as she grabbed his cleaned plate and threw it into a sudsy kitchen sink.

“Yeah, sure.”

They both grabbed their light jackets and set out along the familiar, rickety boardwalk. The shops were largely closed for the season and the carnival at the end of the pier was motionless. Brightly colored leaves skittered across their path with the wind.

“So,” she cleared her throat, “I’ve heard you’re a bit stressed.”

Ben groaned. “Who sent you?”

Y/N laughed and nudged his shoulder with hers. “No one. Our moms talk and then our dads talk and they talk to me but I’m fully capable of making my own decisions.” She sighed. “I would be a terrible friend if I didn’t at least check in on you.”

“You could’ve texted.”

“Pancakes are much better for you.”

Ben just laughed, the first laugh he had let himself have in over a year. It almost seemed effortless with her. It was so simple to be happy around her—it was like she pulled it out of him.

The conversation drifted to her school, apparently she was studying international relations at a university just a few miles away from his own and had an internship with a prominent travel magazine. She covertly asked again what was going on with him and he confessed he really didn’t know. But it felt suffocating. Y/N just nodded and let him talk, venting his frustrations with his roommates, the shitty cafeteria food, his overbearing professors, his uninterested professors, his strange need to be the best at everything.

“I just…don’t know. It was so much easier when we were little and didn’t have to wonder if the world was against you. We were just…present. Every day was simple, you know?” He chuckled at his own question and shook his head. “Sorry. I’m getting really philosophical.”

Y/N just smiled. “I’m glad you can talk to me. I like it.”

They eventually found a small café that was still open, a little place called Java the Hutt, and each grabbed a warm drink to press between their hands to keep them warm as they decided to head back toward the house.

Ben tried to not notice how her nose was now red from the cold and wind or how she licked her lips after every sip of her drink. But he did—he noticed.

As they reached the house, Y/N suddenly grabbed his hands and hauled him onto the beach.

“What are you doing?”

“I heard this poem—or maybe it was a quote in a book, whatever—that the sea cleanses the soul. We are going to cleanse our souls. You ready?” She dropped his hand as they reached the very edge of the water and she yanked off her shoes and threw them over her shoulder. Y/N turned to him and held out her hand again. “Ben?”

“It’s like thirty degrees in that water. You’re going to get hypothermia.”

“No. I’m not. The house is right there and full of hot water. C’mon.” She wiggled her fingers.

“This is stupid.” But, Ben sighed and kicked off his shoes and took her hand right before she dashed right into the absolutely frigid water. Without pausing or warning, she wrapped her arms around him and made them both fall into an oncoming wave.

Ben hauled her back up to the surface and was instantly greeted with the sound of her laughter in his ear as she continued to cling to him.

“Does your soul feel clean?” She asked as she started to shiver against him.

Skin to skin, he could feel the goosebumps across her arms and he could see how her clothes were clinging to her frame. Traces of makeup were starting to slide down her cheeks but he could’ve sworn she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Ben pulled her closer and slotted his mouth over hers.

Instantly, she tightened her grip on him and responded as if she had been waiting her whole life for him to kiss her. Her hands wound into his wet hair as more chilled waves crashed around them. She tasted like salt and happiness and Ben could’ve sworn his soul was cleansed.

Ben was entirely aware that it was cliché, but he felt like he could do anything if she could just continue to exist.

Y/N smiled at him when she broke away and then laughed. “That only took you fifteen years.”

“You hated me for most of them.”

“I did not. We were childhood sweethearts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you'd like to see!  
> I'm finishing up a Poe request and starting a Hux request--and of course more Obi-Wan and Ben are on the way too.   
> Thank you for reading!


	5. ...Poe was Sent Off to War? (Letters-A Modern Pilot AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for Michi who requested a Pilot!Poe and a school-teacher Y/N.  
> I hope this fulfills what you were looking for!  
> Excessive use of italics ahead.

Miss L/N’s kindergarten class had always been full of energy but they were also absolutely avid learners. They wanted to learn everything about everything.

In order to keep them under control—which is a feat compared to herding cats—Miss L/N had to come up with new ways to keep them entertained.

This week, after she had watched a newscast on the upcoming of an in-town squadron of Air Force fighter pilots being deployed overseas, she had an idea.

“Good morning, class!” She cheered as they all sat themselves before the morning bell. Their bright, cherubic faces were in different stages of happiness, something Y/N was thankful for.

“Good morning, Miss L/N!” They answered.

“Has anyone ever seen the fighter pilots?” Most of the class raised their hands. There was an annual show on the Air Force Base every summer when the Fighter Pilots would put on a show for the community so it was no surprise that at least a few had seen them. She explained, in very basic detail, how planes flew and how sometimes pilots and other members of the military had to go away for a very long time to fight overseas.

“Away from their families?”

“Away from their **puppies**?”

Y/N smiled and nodded. “Yes, and sometimes they can get very lonely. So, I was wondering if you all would help me send them letters to let them know we’re excited for them to come home and happy they’re out there helping people?”

“Of course!” The class exclaimed.

Y/N handed out the various cards she had picked up from the clearance section at target on the way in that morning and gave very basic instructions. Creativity was key at this age.

After a few phone calls over the weekend, she had managed to get a few names and an address to which she could send the cards and small care packages she planned on having the kids assemble later in the week.

She found herself with an excess of cards and sat down to write a few of her own. She kept it simple. She thanked them for their service and hoped they stayed safe. Eventually, she just gave in and wrote a card for each pilot on the list to coincide with the kids’ cards and care packages.

She never intended to hear anything back. After all, they were a bit busy.

Six care packages went out. They were filled with nonperishables, a few stuffed animals the kids deemed important, phone cards, and of course, all of the handwritten and decorated cards. A picture of the class was tucked into each box too.

Time went by and the class focused on other things. A few students would ask if the pilots were okay and Y/N resolutely watched the news every morning and night for any word on the pilots and reported back that they were all fine.

About a month and a half after the packages went out, a small, slightly-rumpled letter slid across Y/N’s desk during the morning mail-drop before the students arrived.

The address was familiar, as was the name on the return label.

Captain P. Dameron.

He had been one of the pilots on her list.

She excitedly opened it and smiled as she read the messy but beautiful scrawl—it was almost impossible for her to stop smiling as she sat the class down to hear it.

_Dear Miss L/N and her amazing class,_  
_Thank you so much for your care package! My buddies and I really appreciate it. I really like the cards and have them hung up in my tent so I can smile every time I see them. The food is good too! And whoever put in the stuffed zebra—thank you! How did you know that zebras were my favorite? I’m sorry it took so long to respond. We’ve been a little busy. We get up at 0500 hours every morning and go out to fly to try and stop bad guys and sometimes we don’t get back until the next day! I hope all of you are getting plenty of rest. And I hope you all are being good for Miss L/N. I was never very well behaved in kindergarten and I was in trouble all the time. Please don’t be like me! Pay attention to Miss L/N._

_Sincerely,_

_Capt. Poe Dameron_

The rest of the class period was spent trying to construct a letter that they all agreed upon—most of it was just questions; they wanted to know what he did for fun and if his plane transformed into a car like a transformer. Y/N constructed a card out of loose paper and quickly jotted down what the kindergartners wanted it to say before passing it around for them all to sign. They stamped it and sent it out.

The next day, most of the students came back with more food and more stuffed zebras for a package they demanded Miss L/N send out.

She, of course, obliged as long as they promised to pay extra attention to the lesson on reading after naptime.

After the class let out for the day, Y/N scooped up all the food and zebras and carefully tucked them into a box she stole from a fifth grade teacher’s room.

But before she sealed it, she sat down and ripped a piece of paper from her planner and jotted a quick note.

_Captain Dameron-_  
_Thank you so much for your kind words to my class. I now have several younglings running around making airplane noises, swearing that they’ll pay attention to everything I say so they can grow up to be pilots, just like you._  
_I hope you and the rest of your squadron stay safe._  
_Enjoy the food—and sorry about all the zebras._

_Y/N L/N_

She tucked the letter in between jars of peanut butter and sent it off.

**

It was two weeks later when she received a large manila envelope. Inside of it was two letters, one addressed to the class and the other addressed to “Miss L/N,” and then there was a picture. It was of the squadron, all of them were decked out in their gear, holding their helmets at their hips as they stood in front of one of the fighter jets.

When Y/N flipped over the picture, she saw a note.

_I’m the one on the left, second row._

Y/N quickly flipped it back around and felt her eyes bulge just a bit as she finally laid her eyes on Captain Dameron. Messy black hair, a strong jaw and nose, and dark eyes—and a stupidly perfect smile.

“Wow…” She whispered to herself.

Why was she blushing? Because of a picture?

She went to open her personal letter when the arrival bell ran and students started to file in. She hurriedly hid hers away and once again smiled at the excitement of her class when she announced another letter from Captain Dameron. Y/N passed around the picture as she read the letter Poe had written for the class.

_Dear kiddos!_  
_I was so happy to receive your package and letter. You all gave me so many zebras that I had to share them with the whole base, there were too many to keep all to myself. You guys are the best! To answer your questions, my friends Finn and Rey and I usually play pool at the cantina and read. Be sure to read, kids! It’s important. All the cool pilots read. And I’m sorry to say that my plane doesn’t turn into a car. I wish it would though—I would want it to be a really big SUV. I hope to get another letter soon._  
_Sincerely,_  
_Capt. Poe Dameron_

The class quickly asked Miss L/N to pin the picture up on the board so they could look at it “alllll the time” as they said and then quickly brainstormed more questions for the next letter.

This time, when the kindergartners hatched another plan for another care package, Y/N asked for just nonperishables—no more zebras. This put the little kids out for a moment before they asked if they could send an extra big box so they could send enough food for the whole squadron.

Y/N, feeling her bank account scream in protest, nodded.

She drew up the letter again and let them sign it before hiding it away in her desk so she could start her lesson on the fifth letter of the alphabet.

When the class settled down for nap time, exhausted from the morning’s excitement, Y/N finally opened her letter.

_Miss L/N,_  
_Thank you so much for your kind words. It was the highlight of my day when I saw your letter—the peanut butter helped too. I am so sorry if the kids are making too much noise. If it helps, you can tell them that some stealth planes make no noise at all and those are the coolest planes. (He drew a smiley face here and Y/N was fighting another cheek-hurting smile.) But, honestly, I just wanted to thank you for what you are doing. I might be over here, doing what I do, but it takes a different type of courage to stand up in front of those kids every day and try to make them into productive members of society. Honestly, I couldn’t do it. So, again, thank you._  
_-Poe_

Y/N looked at the clock and saw she still had a few minutes left in naptime. Hurriedly and quietly, she pulled another sheet of paper from her notebook.

_Captain Dameron-_  
_I will definitely tell them that stealth planes make less noise but it is quite comical to hear them try to keep up with the noises for a solid fifteen minutes. Bryan, my resident troublemaker, however, decided to be a helicopter and run into all the kids pretending to be fighter pilots. Any advice for him?_  
_As for the courage, thank you. I never thought I had any sort of courage. Sure, I might get paint and strange bodily fluids all over me, but I’m not doing what you do. I’m sure we could go back and forth forever but I will just say this, again: thank you for your service and courage. I hope you continue to stay safe._

_All my best,  
Y/N_

She paused for a moment. Should she just sign her first name? Was that too informal? Poe had just signed his first name so maybe it would be polite…

She folded the letter with a small smile and tucked it into an envelope.

**

The letters continued for months and soon Christmas was approaching and the kids once again were filling a box with things they’d thought Poe would need. It included a mini Christmas tree, wrapped gifts, and more food, and another card.

Their board was now framed by pictures Poe had sent them. Some of them were of Poe and his friends Finn and Rey, some others were of Poe with the General, a formidable woman by the name of Leia Organa, and others were just of scenery, probably taken from the cockpit of Poe’s plane.

Y/N would almost be embarrassed to admit how much she looked forward to Poe bimonthly letters.

While the letters to the class were still roughly about a page long, the letters he sent to Y/N had grown and grown and now averaged about ten pages each time.

She found herself spilling secrets to him, over ink and paper, and he reciprocated.

It was a simple companionship. They vented to each other. Poe, about the struggles of one of the other pilots not pulling his weight and how their assignment had been prolonged for another handful of months. Y/N, about the bitchy parents who whine about the cost of their infrequent field trips to the zoo and art museum and how the superintendent was trying to implement a no nap-time policy for the kindergarten classes.

Perhaps it was because of the special distance between them, but Y/N found it easy to confide in Poe, almost like a diary. There was never any judgment in his letters, even when she confessed to thinking one of her students was “a little punk” when he hit her in the face with a sword made out of markers when she told him lunch time was over.

But then, after a frighteningly short Spring Break, Y/N watched, in terrified awe, as the newscaster reported a bombing at Poe’s base.

“It is unconfirmed how many lives were taken on either side of the conflict but we will continue to keep you updated as more reports come in.”

Y/N numbly shut off the television and sat back on the small armchair she had in her living room. What had happened to Poe…

Terrible thoughts raced through her mind and she put her head in her hands as she felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. They only stopped when her watch beeped, letting her know that she was going to be late if she didn’t get into the car right now.

At that moment, Y/N remembered the words Poe had written in their first few letters, it takes courage to do what she was doing. So, she squared her shoulders and went to work.

**

It was the last day of school when one of her students finally asked what happened to Poe.

Y/N felt her resolve wobble. “Um, a bad guy found Captain Dameron’s super-secret base. And he’s been busy trying to find the bad guy so this doesn’t happen again.” It wasn’t a complete lie but it wasn’t the truth. What could someone say to a kindergartner? The news had reported that there were a few casualties on each side but didn’t confirm identities. And the letters from Poe never came again.

“But he’s okay, right? Right, Miss L/N?”

Y/N pushed a smile to her face and nodded. “Of course he is.” That could be a lie.

The last bell of the school year rang and each of her students gave her a hug before bolting toward the bus or their parents’ cars. With her desk littered with candy and cards, thanking her for being “the best teacher ever!,” Y/N slumped into her wheeled chair and let her eyes wander around the pictures she had pinned all over the board. It had become a necessity for her to not look at them. She couldn’t be distracted by terrible What-If scenarios when she was trying to teach kids. But now, she tried to pull in every detail.

“Miss L/N, please report to the front office,” the familiar voice of the school secretary, Maz Kanata, rang out over the intercom, startling Y/N back to the present.

She collected herself and walked to through the now empty halls of the elementary school and into the front office. It was largely empty, most of the front office staff leaving campus right after the students had cleared out.

Maz smiled as she spotted Y/N. “You have a visitor.”

“What?”

Maz just pointed behind her and Y/N turned and felt the breath get stolen from her lungs. Before her stood Poe. He was dressed in his ABUs with his hat tucked under his arm. A nervous smile was on his lips as he stood stalk still.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she said, her voice embarrassingly breathy.

Before she could stop herself, Y/N had launched herself at him, winding her arms around his shoulders and pulling him tight. The scent of him was better than she had imagined; cedar and spice and just a hint of mechanical oil. His arms wrapped around her and she felt him press his face into her neck.

There was a tell-tale click of a door being closed and Y/N knew Maz had slipped back into her office to give them a bit of privacy.

Y/N pulled back after a moment, keeping her hands on his shoulders as his stayed at the small of her back. It was a familiar, intimate pose and neither of them cared that they had never actually met. “I-I didn’t hear anything and I thought the worst and-”

“You’re right. I’m so sorry. After the attack, the mail wasn’t exactly priority for the base and I had no way to let you know I was okay. I wanted to call but I couldn’t get a long distance phone for the life of anyone and it was…” he broke off and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Y/N sighed, still humming with elation and trying to burn into her memory how it felt to be in his arms. It wasn’t something she actually acknowledged that she wanted. Sure, the thought had slithered its way into her subconscious while she wrote her letters but she hadn’t ever let it linger.

There had been no reason for her to think that he felt the same or to think that a relationship could actually develop from letters.

As she stood in his arms, she realized she had been wrong in denying.

One of her hands gently pressed against his cheek, once again bringing his dark but warm gaze to hers. “None of that matters. I’m just so happy you’re here, you’re safe.”

Poe cocked his head to the side and bit his lip. A painful skip landed in her heart. He was even more handsome in person.

“I thought about you every day.” He gently reached up and took her hand from his face and kissed her knuckles. “Would it be forward of me to ask you to an early dinner?”

Y/N’s smile grew even wider. “I’d love that.”

“Good.” He stood back and held his arm out for her and she quickly linked arms with him. She could clean her classroom tomorrow. It didn’t matter right now.

Dinner was filled with easy conversation and fleeting touches.

He drove her back to the school so she could grab her purse and keys before he dropped her off at her house.

Like a gentleman, he walked her up to her front door and leaned against the brick of her house as she slid the key into lock.

“You’re more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined,” he whispered.

She smiled as a blush touched her cheeks and she shook her head. “You saw a picture of me.”

It was his turn to shake his head. “You were barely in that picture and your school really needs to hire a new photographer if he doesn’t even know to put you in the middle of each shot.”

A full belly laugh engulfed her now and she ended up dropping her keys. “That was so cheesy!”

Poe just smiled. “But it worked. Didn’t it?” He bent and grabbed her keys for her.

“It did. It was awful, but yes, it worked.” She finally undid her lock and cracked her door. She took a breath and looked at him. “Are you going to come in?”

“Should I?”

“You should.”

As the doors closed and she finally felt what it was like to have his mouth on hers, Y/N was sure she had tasted true happiness.

**

The next school year started and a new batch of kindergarteners now filled her classroom. Some instantly asked about the pictures she had left around the board.

“Who is that?”

“That’s Captain Dameron and he’s coming to speak to you guys today about the importance of paying attention in school.” Y/N’s eyes flickered to the new picture she had on her desk. It was of her and Poe. His lips were pressed to her cheek as she laughed. A smile touched her lips. Pen pals to lovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on a Hux request and another set of Obi-Wan and Kylo prompts.  
> Any requests will be considered! Please tell me what you think! <3


	6. ...Hux was an FBI Agent? (Nerd-An FBI AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first: TRIGGER WARNING for stalking, kidnapping, aggressive language
> 
> Second: this was (sorta) requested by SparklepopSauce who wanted a nerdy, CSI-type characterization of Hux. I'm not entirely sure I delivered on this.
> 
> Third: I'm sorry it's so long. My hand slipped.
> 
> FOURTH: Requests are closed.

It wasn’t that Hux was an asshole (but he was), he just wanted everything to be perfect. This gained him about one friend in his department. He was one of the lead cyber investigators for the expansive city’s FBI branch. His job was to pull information from technology. Whether it was phones, computers, or tablets, Hux could find what the Bureau needed. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t crack. Encrypted and hidden computer files were his specialty but sometimes he had to do “dirty work” and retrieve text messages.

And his one friend? Ben would probably pull his fingernails off before admitting to being friendly with the ginger, but they did sometimes get drinks together after a long week and they awkwardly hung around each other at force-wide parties and gatherings. Most of their relationship was based on the fact that they hated people. It was tenuous at best, but it made work a little more bearable when Hux could shoot an email to Ben about how Sally in accounting cooked fish in the communal microwave again or how a dead guy’s laptop was just filled with porn. They had met each other in high school, and they both skipped several years before being selected to attend the top technological university in the country. It was a competitive friendship, if there was such a thing.

Hux’s phone beeped with a new text message.

_Your turn 4 coffee tmrrw._

It was Ben, reminding Hux that it was indeed his turn to bring in coffee. Hux didn’t respond and bit back a snarl. He didn’t need reminding. He had each week he was responsible for the morning coffee run scrawled in small, neat letters on his calendar and then another note was added to his phone. He didn’t need Ben to remind him. And Hux was sure Ben knew this but reminded him anyway because he knew it really bugged Hux.

Also, Ben might have been privy to the information that Hux had a thing for the barista at the coffee shop around the corner from the office.

It was just a passing fancy, Hux was sure. They barely spoke to each other, other than the exchanging of currency and orders. But Hux sometimes found himself thinking about how her h/c shined in the low light of the 24-hour café and how her laugh was a bit nasally but still cute—and Hux never used the term ‘cute’ to describe anything. Or anybody.

Except Y/N.

And the only reason he knew her name was because of the shiny silver nametag over her chest (which he definitely didn’t stare at when she wasn’t looking).

She always seemed kind and had a smile for everyone—even the soccer moms who, even though they ordered the whipped cream on their low-fat drink, still screamed at her for putting it on there. He had watched her, when the café was slow because of a torrential rainstorm, color in a coloring book with a young boy for about ten minutes while his mother was busy in the bathroom. Y/N had talked with the boy and helped him pick out colors for the superhero on the page.

She was effortlessly kind and thoughtful.

And cute.

Dammit.

**

When Hux arrived at the café, only a few other patrons were inside, some already with their drinks and others waiting in line.

Y/N spotted him and waved before jotting down the other customer’s order and handing it off to the young man who also worked behind the counter. The line moved efficiently and Hux, despite knowing how stupid it was, felt his palms get sweaty as he neared the cash register. He kept his face in its usual apathetic state—which he was sure just stuck now.

“Hello again!” She said with a beaming smile. It seemed her usual good mood had been multiplied today. “Is it your turn to get coffee today? Your usual?”

Hux paused for half a moment. She knew his _order_. She knew his _face_.

“Yes, that would be fine,” he said with a small nod.

“Coming right up,” she said before pulling out two cups and writing the orders onto the plastic and paper.

He handed over his credit card and she swiped it before letting her thumb brush over the raised letters of his name. “I’ve always loved your name. It’s so interesting.”

Hux blinked and if he would never admit it but he might have felt his heart do a painful thump in his chest. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She handed him back his card with a receipt for him to sign.

He quickly signed his name and handed the receipt back.

“So, I’ll see you again tomorrow?” Y/N inquired, tilting her head to the side.

“Yes-”

“Oh good. I like seeing you more than that other guy—what’s his name? Solo? He just seems a bit…” She waved her hands about, as if that would help her grasp the word she was looking for.

“Self-absorbed? Conceited? Temperamental?”

She laughed. “I was looking for pedantic, but those are good words too. He’s very particular about how much cinnamon goes on his foam.”

“Of course he is.” Hux rolled his eyes.

“But I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asked again.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

**

“So…how’d it go today?” Ben asked as he sipped on his drink. He scowled and lifted the lid. “Too much cinnamon,” he grumbled.

“What do you mean?” Hux asked as he started pulling reports sent in overnight.

“With that cute little barista down the way. Did you finally grow the balls to talk to her or are you still doing that creepy-staring-thing that you do?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Solo.” Heat started to crawl up Hux’s neck and he purposely leaned closer to his computer screens to keep Ben from seeing it.

Ben just laughed.

Agent Phasma, an imposing woman who commanded respect everywhere she went, suddenly barged into their office, a thick file under her arm. Her blue eyes, which seemed to be frozen in a constant glare, narrowed on Hux.

“A new case for you.” She dropped the large stack of papers on his desk, nearly spilling his drink.

“You could’ve emailed it-”

“There was too much for one email and I wasn’t going to waste time trying to send several.”

Hux cracked open the file and frowned. “This is a stalking case.”

“I’m so happy you can read, Hux,” Phasma sneered. “If you would continue reading, you’d see most of the contact has been through technology, cyberspace—whatever you want to call it.”

“And why wasn’t the local PD assigned to it?” Ben asked before loudly slurping his drink.

“They were. They asked us to take it over because the IP addresses where coming in from all over the world. Their technology isn’t up to par and I think they’re being a bit lazy.” Phasma sighed and grabbed the file and turned a handful of pages before poking a finger at a picture. “Look at this poor girl. Tell me she doesn’t look like she’s desperate for help.”

Hux looked down and felt his heart stutter in his chest. The picture was of Y/N. There was no smile on her face. Instead, it looked like she had been crying for hours and there was a distinct bruise on her cheek. Her h/c hair was disheveled and dirty. Something terrible had happened.

Hux pulled the file closer to himself after closing it. “I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Phasma nodded once before marching back into the hall without a word.

Ben appeared at Hux’s shoulder and snatched part of the file. His eyes bulged too. “Jesus. What happened to her?”

Hux pulled the file back with a snarl. “If I could read the damned file I would let you know.”

“Touchy, touchy.” Ben said with his hands raised in mock surrender. “I’ll work on those fraud follow-ups before starting on that.” He meandered back to his desk as Hux cracked open the file.

It had started with emails. Y/N had befriended someone on a MMORPG—Hux found a slight smile crawling across his lips at this. He had played that game too before work took over his life and he learned how addicting and dangerous those games could be. They had exchanged email addresses and soon the digital letters started. They were friendly enough but soon the guy’s emails turned romantic. Professing his love, wanting to find her and woo her in person, it was all there and it was all nauseating. Y/N, at first, ignored the romantic comments but eventually had outright told him to stop.

_“It’s making me uncomfortable.” “I just see you as a friend, I’m sorry.” “I just don’t see you that way. Can’t we still be friends?”_

Then the boy, who always signed with the name RedMan379, turned angry. Threats were spewed all over the email.

_“I’ll find you.” “I’ll make you wish you hadn’t rejected me.” “I could’ve made you so happy. You’ll regret this.”_

Y/N, at this point, had smartly cut off contact with him and stopped playing the game after deactivating her email account.

Then the text messages started.

Every time it came from a different number but the message was the same. “I’ll find you. You’re mine.”

Y/N went to the police this time but they could only trace the numbers to an app which gives the user a new number each time. And millions people had that app in this country alone—what about the rest of the world?

She changed her number but the texts kept coming.

And then everything came to a head.

When Y/N was walking her night courses at the local university, she was ambushed just off campus by a masked man. He leveled her with a single sucker punch to the cheek and yelled “Red Man was coming” before disappearing into the night.

That was about a month ago. And the police had been twiddling their thumbs, half-assing their investigation until one detective covertly asked the FBI to step in.

Hux stared at the last page for a moment, words blurring into each other as he didn’t blink.

He had seen Y/N before and after all of this. She didn’t give off any indication of what was going on at all. Her smiles never faltered. She never seemed distrusting. No. She was as open and friendly as ever.

She didn’t deserve this. No one did.

Something strangely angry and protective washed over him in that moment. He wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to keep that smile on her face.

So, he set to work.

He found that the emails were all sent from different IP addresses. They spanned from Boston, to Helsinki, to Cape Town. They were all over the globe. It was as if Red Man had been planning all of this from the beginning.

He then started to look over the data the PD had sent over on the text messages. As he suspected, none of the numbers matched any known number and the app owners had no way of knowing who was assigned which numbers at a given time. It was an algorithm which dispersed numbers at random and then the data was dumped at the conversation went into a lull after ten minutes.

Hux loosened his tie around his neck and pushed a hand through his red hair.

It was going to be a long day.

**

“Good morning!” Y/N cheered as she watched Hux come in through the door to the café.

He shook out his coat, watching droplets fly about. There had been another unexpected rainstorm and he was the only one in the café this morning besides a hipster in the corner with large headphones over his ears as he typed on his MacBook.

Hux walked right up to the counter and scowled—he literally couldn’t do anything else with his face at the moment.

“Are…are you okay?” Her e/c eyes darted about for a moment. “Was something wrong with your drink yester-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He bit out.

“Tell you what?” She took a step back from him, away from the counter.

Hux took out his FBI ID and slapped it down on the counter. Under his name, in bold blue letters, it read “Cyber Crime Division.”

He watched her shoulders slump and her pretty e/c eyes filled with tears.

“I know you know that Solo and I worked at the FBI. You could’ve asked us for help!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t want to bother you!” She stretched out her arms and shrugged. “I didn’t…want you to see me like that. Like a little girl who couldn’t protect herself.”

“I know you’re not a little girl who can’t protect herself. You are just…too kind.” Hux gulped, struggling with words he never actually wanted to say. “Too trusting.”

Y/N wiped at her eyes as another flash of lightning shot across the sky, followed shortly by a low rumble of thunder. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing!” Hux nearly shouted. His emotions were running rampant. He couldn’t control them—not around her right now. “You have done nothing wrong. I…” Hux grimaced and looked at her. Tears were now streaming down her reddened cheeks despite her furious attempts to wipe them away. “Don’t-don’t cry…”

“I can’t help it!” She retorted.

Hux looked around the counter and found the small opening on the other side of the pastry display. He slipped behind it and slowly approached her. Y/N just stared at him through watery eyes. Carefully—and with a healthy dose of awkward—Hux reached out and gently wrapped his long arms around her in a hug.

And that was when the dams actually broke. Her smaller frame curled into him as she tugged at the expensive suit jacket on his broad shoulders. Her tears instantly soaked through his crisp white shirt and possibly stained his designer tie too. Slowly, Hux patted her back.

What had others done when people were upset? He’d never been good at dealing emotions, his or others.

But, soon, he felt himself relaxing just a little bit as she wound her arms around his waist and pressed her forehead just over his heart. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I think I’ve ruined your shirt.”

A genuine smile smacked Hux right in the face and his facial muscles actually hurt, unused to being utilized.

**

Solo had become more annoying. He was constantly asking and prodding about Y/N’s case. Sure, he was working on it too, but Hux wanted to solve it and Ben always seemed to take the scenic route.

And Hux would never admit it, but he wanted to be the only one Y/N saw as a hero. He wanted to be the sole white horse, the only person she hugged as a thank you, the only man she saw fighting for her.

But perhaps the lack of sleep he was getting was finally getting to him.

And, unfortunately, Hux kept on hitting dead ends. It seemed that RedMan379 was a master manipulator and was well-versed in evading even the best cyber detectives.

“We have to lure him out,” Ben said as he slurped his morning coffee.

Hux glared at him over the rim of his own cup. He could feel his eyes screaming for sleep. Everything ached. But he saw Y/N’s gentle smile this morning and she had placed her small hand over his before he could walk away. He wasn’t sure what the physical contact meant, but he had liked it.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not responding to the traps you’ve set and he’s not stopping.” As if on cue, the copy of Y/N’s phone beeped with a new text message. And it was once again from RedMan379 with the same message. Hux had asked Y/N for her phone at the end of last week so he could “copy” it so he could monitor the text messages and track the incoming texts to try and locate the stalker but, so far, had no success.

“Well, how would you catch him?” Hux bit out.

Ben smirked and tossed his empty cup to the trash can. It missed. “We get her to go back into the game. He won’t be able to resist.”

“When did you become a profiler?”

Ben laughed. “Trust me, man. That’s his old stomping ground. He might have killed his old character but I guarantee he’s got another. Put her back in there. What’s that old phrase? ‘If you build it, they will come’? I think it’s like that.”

Hux just grumbled into his tea, trying hard to find holes in Solo’s idea but found none. It would be the quickest way to catch him.

**

Hux felt a pesky smile start to strain his facial muscles when Captain Phasma escorted Y/N into his office. It was early Saturday morning and Y/N still had a bit of sleep in her eyes but her hair was tied up into a bun that resembled a bow—which Hux found absolutely adorable.

“Good morning,” she said quietly.

Phasma sat her down in a chair next to Hux with a small smile. “I’ll be just down the hall if you need anything, okay?”

“Of course. Thank you.” Y/N smiled at the statuesque blonde before turning to Hux. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring in your tea. I didn’t have time to stop into work before I got here and-”

Hux caught one of her hands as she gestured over her head and squeezed it. “It’s fine. Really.”

He watched a blush bloom on her cheeks and suddenly felt one starting to crawl up his neck as well so he quickly turned to his computer. He had downloaded all the needed software last night and he pulled Y/N’s chair closer to his so she could log in. She let out a surprised yelp at the sudden movement but quickly tried to cover it with a cough. Her blush intensified as the screen was filled with a scantily clad elf with minimal armor.

“I…used to really like elves,” she added quietly.

“I preferred orcs,” Hux added offhandedly as he wheeled a little farther away from the computer so they could share the cubicle a little easier.

Y/N just smiled and took control of the computer, re-familiarizing herself with the sprawling, computer-generated world. She accepted a quested and started to navigate through the game.

Hux attached a separate computer to the desktop with a program he had built to trap, track, and trace IP addresses of all the players Y/N’s character came in contact with. If asked, he would say he had built it while bored in undergrad. But, if he was being truthful, he had built in a rushed haze after finally acquiescing to Solo’s suggestion. Sleep didn’t seem to matter when he thought about protecting Y/N. It was a stupid thought, surely, sleep was a necessity—but he couldn’t get the image of her bruised face or her smile from his mind. So he had continually pushed forward.

Solo eventually delivered lunch, pizza and water, before ruffling Hux’s hair on the way out. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he sing-songed before shutting the door.

Both Y/N and Hux blushed again but he continued to monitor the various of IP addresses across his screen. Sometimes, Y/N would nudge him to help with a mission. “Can you hit the space bar for me?” or “Should I go north or west?” And he would quietly answer or press the key she requested.

He noticed that the tip of her tongue would slide out of the corner of her mouth when she was really concentrating and her nose would scrunch and Hux resisted the urge to tap his finger against her nose—really, where were these impulses coming from?

She was just so…cute.

As the twelfth hour came and went, Y/N suddenly stood after hiding her character. She stuck out a hand toward him and wiggled her fingers.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“We’re going to take a break. My legs hurt. My eyes hurt. My heart hurts. We’re taking a walk.”

Hux pursed his lips but took her hand, silently marveled at how soft her skin was, and let her lead him out into the empty hallway. She didn’t pull their hands apart as they quietly walked around the hall and he didn’t dare remove his hold on her.

“So, how’d you get into cyber investigations?” She suddenly asked on their third lap around.

“I was bullied a lot when I was kid, mostly online. I wanted to know who these people were so…I figured out how to track their IP addresses and called their parents to let them know what their kids were doing. It just kind of…snowballed from there.”

“People used to tease you? How sad!” She patted his chest with her free arm and then frowned. “Was it the hair?”

The conversation continued from there. Hux learned that she was enrolled in the IT program at her university and hoped to one day become a cyber investigator, like Hux. “I’ve always wanted to help people, you know? And make them smile. And then this whole thing started up and I thought that I could learn how to fight back on my own, but all I’ve learned so far is how to program and how to troubleshoot. And I’m about to graduate!”

Hux felt himself smiling again. “If you get accepted, they’ll train you.”

“Yeah?” She beamed up at him, her tired eyes full of hope.

He quickly looked away. “Yeah.”

The conversation continued for a few more laps before Y/N slowed to a stop in front of his office door with a sigh. “We should probably get back to work, right?”

“Probably.”

She twisted her lips and held his hand a bit tighter. “I’m scared.”

“We’ll get him.” He gently led her back inside and they resumed the game.

But now, Y/N seemed nervous. Her fingers weren’t as quick over the keyboard and she was frequently shooting Hux glances over her shoulder while he scanned the codes on his screen. And, without even thinking about it, Hux placed a hand on her knee. It was almost a subconscious movement; he wanted to reach out and comfort her.

And it seemed to help.

Some tension seeped from her shoulders and she continued along until he quite literally felt her tense under his hand.

“That’s his avatar…” she whispered.

Hux quickly narrowed down the handful of IPs it could be.

He winced when he realized what he had to ask her to do. “We need him stationary for at least a minute, so I can pinpoint which one is his.”

Her eyes went wide for a moment, her fingers stilling over the keyboard, before she nodded once and sent out a message.

The IPs changed and filtered out and Hux kept scanning.

The computer pinged with an incoming message.

“He’s angry.” Y/N’s voice was hard.

“Keep him angry.” Hux replied, his hand once again finding her knee. He felt a bit of his own tension ease when her fingers curled around his.

“He’s asking why I’m suddenly back online.”

“Tell him you missed the game.”

She typed one handed, not letting go of Hux’s hand.

The selection of addresses was growing smaller.

Another message came in and she froze.

“He wants to know if the FBI office is cozy.”

Hux hurriedly grabbed the address he was looking for before it disappeared.

“He logged out.” Y/N said, near panic.

Hux ran the trace and nearly let out an audible growl. “It’s coming from your café.” He picked up the phone and had sent out the PD (and Ben and Phasma who had been waiting for any sort of signal) to the café.

“What happens now?” She asked, her voice small.

Hux settled back down in his chair with a sigh. “Now, we wait.”

Y/N nodded and slumped a bit in her chair before turning toward him. “Can…can I have a hug?”

“Um…sure.”

Before he even finished forming the last syllable, Y/N had nearly flung herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck before her cold nose pressed against his pulse as her legs bracketed his thighs. Impulsively, Hux pulled her closer—he told himself it was to steady them on the wheeled chair but he also found himself taking in a deep breath, trying to remember how her perfume smelled.

“Thank you, for everything,” she whispered.

“Don’t thank me just yet.” His large hands started to run up and down her back against the soft fabric of her shirt. “Not just yet…”

He was unsure of how long he held her in his lap but his cell phone ringing brought him back to the present. He pressed his phone to his ear and listened to Phasma bring him up to speed. They’d caught him, trying to sneak out the back, but they’d also discovered plans to kidnap Y/N on his hard drive when Solo did a quick recon on his laptop.

“He’s twisted. You should see the stuff he has on here.”

Hux looked down at Y/N who had fallen asleep against his chest. “No. I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Because I might kill him.”

**

“Are you ready?” Hux asked through the door as he straightened his tie.

The door opened and Y/N stepped out, wearing a modest dress and nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “As I’ll ever be.”

“C’mon then,” Hux said, holding out a hand.

She readily took it and they walked out to Hux’s car and quietly drove over to the courthouse.

Y/N had been shocked to discover that the largely silent hipster who had frequented her café over the past few months had been behind RedMan379. Apparently, after she had cut off contact with him on the game, he moved to her town after tracing her IP address. It had been easy for him to get her new number, he simply overheard her give it to a coworker.

He had been the one to attack her on campus and had plans to abduct her soon when the FBI had finally stepped into the investigation.

Today, the sentencing was going to be carried out. He had been found guilty on all charges.

And Hux had been seated next to Y/N the whole time. The only time he had left her side was to testify about his investigations. And when she had to testify, Y/N kept her eyes firmly trained on Hux.

Before the trial had even begun, she had confided in him that she saw him as a “pillar of ginger strength” and often thanked him for saving her. He brushed it off with an awkward comment but carefully stored her words away.

They had grown closer, through the preliminary hearings and throughout the trial. He frequently found her waiting outside his office with his favorite drink when she was between classes and he found himself arriving at her small apartment with pizza in hand. She made him sit through romantic comedies every weekend and he slowly taught her a few things he knew about protecting herself on the internet.

Hux found himself always happy to see her, even when Solo had ruined a project or spilled his coffee all over the computer (again) in a fit of rage. She was his bright spot.

Hux had never really felt any sort of attachment to another person outside of the obligatory attachments he felt to his family. But this was different. He wanted to see Y/N. He wanted to see her every day and every night. He wanted to make her smile and let her force him to watch sappy movies with terrible acting. He just wanted to hear her laugh every day and her soft snores every night. (He had discovered she snored when she fell asleep in his nap during their usual Friday Night “Movie Time” a few weeks ago when she had put in the film _Crazy, Stupid, Love_ and promptly fell asleep with her head on his lap.)

Hux wasn’t entirely sure if he was being childish in his feelings—he had always thought that romantic attachments were just a hindrance and an excuse for public displays of affection. But now he wanted to hold her hand as they walked around. He wanted to hold her tight. He wanted to know what it felt like to kiss her. But right now, there were protocols. She was a client and he was an agent. He shouldn’t even be thinking about her like that.

But the feelings persisted and he trudged on.

Hux placed a hand on the small of her back as he led her through the back entrance of the courthouse and they took a seat toward the back. Y/N scrambled to grab at his hands, both of them, when the judge started to read out the sentencing.

Y/N squeezed his hands as she learned that her stalker would be in jail for fifteen years. The possibility of parole would only become available after he served five years.

The courtroom slowly emptied until just Hux and Y/N were left. Phasma and Solo had both nudged them on their way out as a silent congratulations.

“So, what happens now?” She asked, her voice echoing in the large room.

“Whatever you want to. You have your life back.”

She smiled. “I do. Thanks to you.” Y/N leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek before standing up.

Hux was frozen for a moment, her small gesture throwing him through a loop. He was snapped back to the present as she presented him with a small card.

“It’s, um, a ticket to my graduation. It’s next month. I know you will have a lot of paperwork after this but I was still hoping that you’d-”

Hux took the card from her and stood up. “I’ll be there.”

And then her heart-stopping smile spread across her face. “Thank you.”

**

A month later, Hux sat toward the front of the audience for the summer graduation ceremony. He had arrived early to make sure he had the best view. Solo and Phasma showed up almost late and he didn’t feel any sort of regret for not saving them a seat. The sun was shining over the green and lush university campus and a large stage had been assembled and it was stacked high with degrees wrapped in expensive covers.

He watched her with rapt attention as she crossed the stage to receive her degree. Honor ropes thumped against her chest and another beaming smile was absolutely gorgeous. And Hux found himself standing to his feet to clap when her e/c eyes started to scan the crowd. Her smile grew as she spotted him and she waved, nearly whacking a professor in the face.

It didn’t matter that the ceremony wasn’t over. Hux was marching down toward the stage as she sprinted toward him.

Without regard to anyone else or inhibition, she flung her arms around his neck and pushed her lips over his with wild abandon. Murmurs of disapproval hit his ears but he didn’t care as he finally could pull her close and feel what it was like to have her in his arms like this.

It was awkward and heated and Hux felt his chest constrict under a chokehold of happiness.

She broke away with a laugh. “I got in. I got into the Bureau’s training program.”

“Of course you did.”

She leaned up and pressed her lips to his again, just briefly this time. “You’re not getting rid of me any time soon.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about requests:  
> I'm not closing them because I'm overwhelmed. I'm closing them because people are rude.  
> At least pretend to have manners when asking for me to write about a prompt. A simple "hello" or "PLEASE" will work wonders on me. I'm a bubbly person. I am. I am also a bit sarcastic so I can understand the need to be a bit understated in comments and I understand that sometimes things and tones get lost through the internet. However, I'm usually pretty good at ascertaining when someone is just being rude or when they just like to use periods instead of exclamation points. (I'm obviously fond of exclamation points.) But rude people are the reason I moderate my comments. (If your comment has been approved and responded to, this isn't about you.)  
> And I am also allowed to say no to a prompt. This is my collection. I write these. Okay?


	7. ...Obi-Wan was a Doctor? (Accidents-A Doctor AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was partially requested by onepoundofbacon who wanted to read something about a blood donation center.
> 
> And then my hand slipped. A lot.

“But I don’t like needles.” Y/N grimaced as her friend dragged her toward the large, red truck.

“Your New Year’s resolution was to give more back to your community. Well, donating blood is a way to do that.” They slowed to a stop at the back of the line. “And it doesn’t cost anything and they give you fun snacks.”

“I’m only here for a snack,” Y/N grumbled. She honestly did hate needles. When she was kid, she would cry all the way to the hospital and all the way back home after getting her yearly shots. It was never fun. Also, because she was an accident-prone child, she’d had her fair share of tetanus shots and stitches. This unfortunately, also carried over to adulthood and kept up her aversion to needles. And she wanted a tattoo but, again, her fear of needles kept her from actually getting one. And her original resolution was to be nicer but she decided giving back was easier.

The line moved quickly and soon Y/N found herself stepping up into the back of the large truck and being led to the chair toward the back after filling out a short release form. 

Like all the other chairs, it was surrounded by an IV, a few clear bags, and a disposal spot for needles.

“Hi, I’m Anakin,” the blond man said as she sat down. “I’ll be taking care of you today, okay?”

“Okay.”

She closed her eyes as Anakin snapped on his gloves. “Is this your first time donating blood?”

“Um, yeah. Is it that obvious?”

“You’re a bit jittery.” Anakin chuckled and she heard him wheel his chair closer. “I promise this will go smoothly. And you’re helping a lot of people. After that tornado last year, the blood bank has been pretty low on stock. You should be proud of yourself.”

Y/N heard him open something plastic and assumed it was the needle.

“And you’ve eaten recently, right?” He asked as he wrapped a tourniquet just above her elbow.

“Yup.”

“Great. You’re a champ.”

Y/N smiled, her eyes still closed. Anakin must have dealt with a lot of sick kids or finicky patients because he seemed completely at ease with her glaringly apparent discomfort.

There was a small prick in her arm and nothing more. Her skin felt a bit cold for a few minutes and Y/N opened her eyes to see the crimson liquid being funneled her arm, through a clear tube, and into a bag. It was an interesting sight, to be sure, as long as she ignored the needle protruding from her arm into the funnel.

She looked up at Anakin who handed her a stress ball and gently curled her fingers around it. “Just squeeze that a couple of times. All right? You’re doing great. I just have to start a few other people. I’ll be right back.” He gave another blindingly perfect smile and walked over to another station.

Y/N looked around and spotted her friend at a station with a stunning brunette doctor. Her friend gave her a thumbs up and a smile before continuing her conversation with her doctor.

“How’re you feeling?” A lightly accented voice pulled her back.

Y/N looked up to see a mustachioed man with sparkling blue eyes. In a word, he was gorgeous. Far more beautiful to look at than all of the attorneys she worked for in the large law firm downtown. A gentle smile touched his lips as he took Anakin’s vacated seat. “I’m okay.” She glanced at his name tag hanging from his shirt pocket and it reads: Obi-Wan Kenobi, MD.

His fingers lightly brushed over the tourniquet before he inspected the funnel and tube. “Did Anakin take care of you?”

“He did.”

Obi-Wan’s smile widened just a bit. “Good. He’s improving. Last time he had to work a blood clinic, he accidentally missed a poor soul’s vein and-”

Y/N instinctively tightened her grip on the ball and a dull ache shot up her arm. “Excuse me?”

“Stop squeezing the ball,” he said calmly, his cold fingers sliding over her hand. “You’re going to push the needle out.”

Her grip loosened just a bit.

“Anakin, Padme, all of the techs here are in medical school. They’re still learning. They earn hours for their courses and residency by volunteering at functions like this. They’re trained professionals, Miss…” he drifted off to look at her bag which had her name written on it in messy scrawl. “L/N. I didn’t mean to cause you any distress.” He chuckled. “Are you okay?”

Y/N slumped in her chair. “Yeah…I guess. Just, please, if I ever do this again never tell me that my tech is one to mess up the needle.”

He chuckled again and Y/N decided it was a pleasant sound. “Is this your first time?”

“I’m a blood bank virgin.”

“Well, you are handling it like a professional. You should be very impressed with yourself.”

Y/N smiled. “Thank you.”

He stood and nodded his head at her as a goodbye. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go check on the others.”

Y/N watched him go, walking around to each station and chatting with the patient and tech, before walking to the next. Yes, he was gorgeous.

She shut her eyes as a strange nausea started to creep up over her. Shifting slightly in the waxy chair, she breathed in and then out through her nose in deep breaths, something she had to resort to when forced to get a shot when she needed to calm down.

“All right,” Anakin said, sitting back down beside her. “You’re about topped off. Let’s get you out of here, okay?”

Y/N nodded without opening her eyes.

His warm fingers touched her elbow and there was another small prick at her arm and then heat flooded her arm. More gauze was applied around her elbow. “Okay, I just need you to apply pressure to your arm and hold it over your head. This will keep you from bleeding all over the place.” Anakin chuckled as Y/N scowled.

“That isn’t comforting.” She finally opened her eyes and wished she hadn’t. The nausea was gaining speed.

“Just don’t pass out on me.”

“I promise nothing.”

“I’m going to get you some gummy bears and crackers. You look a bit pale.” Anakin nearly jumped from his seat and quickly grabbed the snacks from a table toward the back and opened them before sitting down. “Okay, you should be able to bring your hand down now.”

Y/N did as she was told and felt a warm trickle slide down her arm. She was bleeding, quite profusely, too.

And Y/N promptly passed out.

**

Something cold was pressed against her cheek and Y/N squinted against the lights on the inside of the truck. She was still slumped in her chair but there was now a pillow behind her head and a heavy bandage over her elbow.

Kenobi stood over her, a frown on his face and his eyebrows furrowed over his stupidly perfect blue eyes. “There we go,” he said, catching her eyes opening. “You’re okay, you’re okay.” He pressed the ice pack to her neck and she shivered. “How’re you feeling?” He set the ice pack down and her skin was left strangely warm in its absence.

“Did Anakin eat my crackers?”

He laughed, a full belly-laugh which made Y/N smile despite the headache she was now nursing. “No. I saved your crackers. And the gummy bears. Would you like some?”

“Please.” 

He reached around and grabbed the small packets of snacks and handed them to her, along with a bottle of water. “Eat them slowly. Don’t shock your system. And Anakin sends his sincerest apologies. You were the first person to faint on him.”

Y/N nodded once and popped a cracker into mouth with her non-bandaged arm. He just sat and watched her eat for a moment before pressing his hand against her forehead and then taking her pulse, sliding his fingers over her wrist. He nodded after a few moments and Y/N was thankful he didn’t seem to notice how her heart skipped a few beats at his touch. Or he was being gracious enough to not mention it. She had been embarrassed enough today. Y/N had felt the stares from the other techs and donors but decided to keep her eyes trained on her packet of crackers.

“You should be okay now. Please, eat all of those and then make your friend take you out to lunch. It sounds like she owes you.” He smiled and stood up before gently helping her to her feet. “Don’t let her pressure you into doing this again. I think you’ve lived up to your resolution just fine.” He shook his head. “Your friend can talk a mile a minute, by the way,” he whispered.

Y/N’s eyes shot to her friend who was waiting outside of the truck, a panicked and guilty look on her face. “My poor ears.”

As they exited the truck and the sun hit Y/N, Obi-Wan pulled out a business card and handed it to her. She struggled to grab it with her full hands and he just ended up sliding it into the front pocket of her jeans. “If you need anything…” He drifted off and shook his head. “If you’re still light headed in a couple of hours or if you feel like you’re going to pass out again, give me a call. I’ll come running.”

Y/N blushed and felt light headed—probably because of the blood loss. “Right, of course. Thank you, Doctor Kenobi.”

He smiled. “Just Obi-Wan.”

Y/N nodded and let her friend drag her away.

**

“I swear you are like a walking Public Service Announcement for the dangers of city living,” The receptionist at the hospital said with a roll of her eyes when she saw Y/N hobbling in. “What is it this time?”

“My neighbor’s cat decided he didn’t like me anymore.”

The receptionist shook her head. “Doctor Haroldson is out today. I’ll see if someone else is available.”

Y/N didn’t even need to fill out the standard form anymore. The receptionist just had a stack of copies of her information. It was sad, really, when she thought about it.

Y/N slowly lowered herself into a pleather chair with a wince. That damned cat had really roughed her up. There were bloody scratches up and down her arms and legs and across one of her cheeks. And then she had also fallen down half a flight of stairs in an attempt to get away from the cat.

It had been a glorious way to spend an early Saturday morning.

“Miss L/N?” A familiar voice asked.

She looked up to see Kenobi looking at her. “Hi, again.”

His mouth was slightly agape, as if completely taken aback. “Well, let’s, um, let’s get you settled. Please, follow me.” He led her through the familiar halls and into a nondescript room with the standard equipment. Y/N sat down on the bed and winced. “What happened?”

“A cat attack and then the stairs attacked too.”

Kenobi shook his head and gently touched her cheek to get a better look at the scratches on her cheek. And then he glanced down to see her bloodied sweatshirt and jeans. “So, I’m going to need you to take off your jeans and top, please.”

With a blush, Y/N did as she was told which left her in her panties and a thin camisole and let his blue eyes scan over her before grabbing a bit of gauze and antiseptic. He nudged her back onto the bed and had her lay down. As he wet the gauze with the antiseptic, he looked at her. “You know you’re going to have to explain this to me.”

So, she did, feeling her blush grow more heated as Kenobi just laughed lightly while cleaning the scratches. “...And I really don’t understand why Mr. Whiskers just attacked me. Usually he loves me. And then the stairs, well, I think that’s pretty self-explanatory.”

Kenobi nodded and ran his fingers over the large, dark bruise that had bloomed to envelope most of her thigh. Y/N shuddered and he quickly retracted his touch. “I’m going to run some x-rays, just to be sure you didn’t break anything. Just to be on the safe side. Sound good?”

“Perfect. Can I put my jeans back on?”

Kenobi glanced at her legs for a moment before nodding. “I’ll be right back.”

Y/N hurriedly pulled on her jeans as soon as the door clicked close and then balled up her sweatshirt in her hands.

Dammit, if she had known Kenobi was going to be her doctor, she would have at least brushed her hair!

He walked back in with a wheelchair a few moments later.

“What’s that for?” She asked.

“I thought you’d wheel me down to the x-ray room for fun.” He smirked. “It’s for you. You’re limping. And if your leg is broken, I don’t want you walking on it.”

Y/N scowled at his poor joke but sat down in the chair and he easily pushed it through the halls and into the familiar x-ray room, and then, without warning picked her up and sat her down on the examination table.

“Was that necessary?” She asked.

“Yes.” He quipped back and then draped the lead vest over her torso and the tech situated her just enough so he could get a few shots of her legs. As they waited for the processed images, Kenobi turned to her. “Are you always this abrasive or do you save it just for me?”

“Thank you for insulting my entire personality.”

“Ah, so I was correct. You’re always mean.”

“If this is mean, you obviously haven’t actually had anyone be mean to you.”

“I am a joy to be around.”

“I’m sure you are.”

The x-ray tech came in and announced that, while her leg wasn’t broken, it would probably be best if she stayed off of it as much as possible for the next couple of days if she wanted to keep the bruising and pain to a minimum.

Kenobi turned to her with a smirk. “So, shall I wheel you back to the room or would your pride like you to hobble the whole way there?”

“Oh yes, you’re a _joy_ to be around.” She stuck out her arms toward him. “To my chariot, good sir.”

Kenobi, with another laugh, scooped her back up and plopped her back into the wheelchair.

**

From that point on, whether it was falling down more stairs, being knocked down by a bicyclist, or somehow having a large printer fall on her, Y/N requested to see Doctor Kenobi, even going so far as to make him her new Primary Care Physician. She enjoyed his ability to deal with her sarcasm and overall-shitty attitude and the fact that she didn’t have to hide it like she did with her former doctor who always seemed to begin and end every single appointment with some quote from a book about Zen he kept trying to get his clients to read.

Their frequent meetings at the hospital turned into lunch meetings and trading barbs over late night drinks at an upscale bar downtown.

Sure, there was a bit of a flirtation—it seemed half of what came out of Kenobi’s mouth was flirtatious—but Y/N never wanted to act on it. She had finally found a friend who she didn’t have to censure her thoughts around. And he seemed at ease around her too. After one too many cocktails one night, he confessed he detested how there seemed to be an unspoken rule for doctors to not tell their patients how stupid they were.

“Why can’t I tell them that they’re being completely idiotic?” He slurred. “Chugging cough syrup to ‘get rid of the flu faster’ is ludicrous! By can I say that? Noooo. I have to refer them to a counselor with hushed tones and a smile. I’m human too, you know. I have emotions. And I should be able to express them whenever I want. If someone’s an idiot, I want to call them an idiot.”

Y/N had just patted his arm with a knowing smile. “I completely understand. One of the attorneys I work for tried to tell me how to fill out a form for a new pleading. Like, what? I was trained for forms, I went to school for forms, I have a degree in filling-out-forms. He doesn’t even know how to send his paperwork to the county clerk for filing and then he talks to me like I’m an idiot because I don’t have a law degree? I wanna fight him.”

“Let’s fight.” Kenobi slurred.

“Each other? I’m not fighting you, Kenobi. I’ll kick your ass.”

“I was talking about fighting the people who make us angry. But I would definitely win in a fight with you.” He knocked over her empty whiskey glass for emphasis.

“You would not! Fight me! Right now!” Y/N slid off her leather stool and glared at him as best she could through the haze as she raised her fists.

He just laughed and tried to get the last few drops of his own drink out of the bottom of his glass.

“Kenobi!” She said, fighting the giggles.

“I’ve told you like eight billion times, call me Obi-Wan.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it pisses you off.”

The doctor scowled and threw down a wad of bills—definitely overpaying for their drinks—before shoving his wallet back into his pocket. Without warning or inhibition, Kenobi lowered his shoulder and rammed it right into her stomach before hoisting her gasping form up into the air. His strong arms wrapped around her thighs to keep her in place before marching out of the bar.

“What the fuck?!” Y/N screeched, pounding on his back. “That hurt!”

“You said you wanted to fight-”

“This isn’t fighting! This is kidnapping. Help, help! I’m being kidnapped!” She screamed out to the crowded street.

Kenobi just laughed and tightened his grip over her legs, making the trek back to his apartment. It wasn’t unusual for her to crash on his couch and he sometimes found himself waking up on her bathroom floor when she got him wasted. They were intimately familiar with each other’s lives and it just seemed right. They fit so easily into the other’s life. It wasn’t like finding a missing puzzle piece. It was like finding the white-colored crayon to fill in the black voids in their life. It didn’t complete anything. It simply was—adding a different dimension and a different kind of beauty to their own life.

**

It had been two years since they had met at the blood drive. And nothing had changed. Y/N still called him Kenobi and was still an asshole. He still bought her drinks and fixed her numerous ailments and injuries.

Both of his favorite interns, Padme and Anakin, had asked if they were dating which Y/N would vehemently deny. But he saw the blush on her cheeks.

The doctor had confided, rather stupidly, in Anakin (and his big mouth) about how he might have actually developed some sort of attachment to Y/N that wasn’t completely platonic.

“Well, of course it isn’t,” Anakin said as they relaxed in the break room between shifts. “You two are two peas on a pod. It’s weird though—it’s like seeing your parents have a moment when you’re together.”

“She’s younger than you!” Kenobi retorted.

Anakin shrugged then waved to Padme who had just come in. “Doesn’t matter.”

“What doesn’t matter?” Padme asked, pulling up a chair beside her boyfriend.

“Nothing,” Obi-Wan said.

“It’s about Y/N. Obi-Wan said that it shouldn’t feel like we’re watching our parents have a moment when he and Y/N are together because she’s younger than me.”

“That’s not really what I said-”

“Oh, that’s right. Well, sort of. I’m not entirely sure if I get the parental vibe from them-”

“Thank you, Padme-”

“But it definitely feels like I’m intruding on them when we’re all out together. You get these heart eyes and she’s all snarky and then your heart eyes get even bigger and it’s just a bit of a mess.” Padme popped open her soda and took a gulp.

“I…I do not have heart eyes.”

“You do,” Anakin and Padme answered in unison.

Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes. He tried not to think about if their statements were true. Sure, he had drunkenly thought about dragging her to his bed or soberly thought about how her lips would taste when they weren’t spouting profanities and bitching.

But he had just shrugged it off. She hadn’t shown interest, right? So why should he pursue her? He didn’t like to waste his time. And he did actually like spending time with Y/N and didn’t want something like a passing dalliance to ruin that.

“You’re thinking about her,” Padme mused as she stole a celery stick from Anakin’s plate.

“What?”

“You do this thing with your forehead,” Padme said and then demonstrated, rising her eyebrows and scrunching them together. “Every time you think about her, you do that.” She tilted her head to the side. “Have you told her you’re in love with her yet?”

He must have been looking like a gaping fished because Anakin just laughed and then tried to throw a carrot into his open mouth. He missed.

“I…I am not-”

“You are. And it’s adorable.” Padme chomped into the celery with a smile.

“Doctor Kenobi, report to the front desk immediately.”

Thankful for the escape, Obi-Wan quickly got up and left, leaving his interns to laugh at his retreating back.

When he arrived at the front desk, he frowned at the sight of the receptionist’s worried gaze. “What is it?”

“Miss L/N. I-I just got a report that she was hit by a car and she’s been taken into surgery and-”

He grabbed the piece of paper she was looking at and then ran.

**

Y/N cautiously opened her eyes. She quickly shut them to avoid being blinded by the lights above her head. Everything felt hazy. It was as if she was floating between cognizance and some crappy imaginary land.

“Ah, you’re awake,” an unfamiliar voice quietly said beside her.

She squinted at him to thwart the lights. A tall, imposing, African-American man looked down at her, a cold calculation in his dark eyes.

Her nose itched and Y/N instinctively reached up to brush whatever it was away. What she ended up doing, actually, was partially ripping out her IV from her arm when her movement was a bit faster than she anticipated.

“What the hell…” she muttered, slumping against her pillows. The doctor quickly reattached everything, muttering under his breath about “she-hulk.”

The door opened and a very handsome man with blue eyes storm into the room. He looked like he needed sleep. And maybe a stiff drink.

“Y/N!” he instantly ran to her bedside and grabbed her hand.

Y/N recoiled out of instinct, pushing herself farther into the pillows. The man instantly looked put-out. His blue eyes searched hers and it looked like he was fighting to keep himself from reaching out again.

“Miss, L/N…” the doctor stepped forward. “Do you know this man?”

“Uh…I don’t know. He’s cute though.” Her tongue was heavy in her mouth, slurring her words as she fought to keep her eyes open. And, she knew that if the doctor hadn’t told her her own name, she probably would’ve answered to something like Shakira. “Do I know you?”

The man looked at the doctor. “It’s the anesthetic, right?”

He nodded before lightly checking on the stitches spanning across her entire hairline.

Y/N watched the red-headed man’s shoulders slump. “She’ll remember though, right, Windu?”

“I’m right **here** ,” Y/N grumbled, finally giving in and letting her eyes slide shut again.

**

When the anesthesia finally wore off later that night and she could properly remember everything, she felt extremely embarrassed.

How could she have forgotten Kenobi?

The nurse pushed some food at her before leaving her alone again.

Her leg was broken in three places. And she had whacked her head against the hood of the car that had tried to run her over and had apparently been knocked unconscious before being airlifted to the hospital.

Y/N had snuck a look at her charts when Doctor Windu wasn’t looking and had learned that she had required surgery to set her leg but she had coded on the operating table for some unknown reason. They had been able to resuscitate her, but it had been touch and go for a hot minute. The accident had happened early yesterday afternoon and she had only woken up a few hours ago, well into the evening. It had been a grueling 36 hours for everyone involved, she supposed.

As Y/N poked at the gelatinous mass that was supposed to be mashed potatoes, her door opened again.

“If you stab me with more morphine, _I’m_ going to stab _you_ ,” she said without looking up from her Styrofoam tray. The annoying, steady beeping of her heart monitor almost provided a beat to her words.

“Glad to hear that the blow to your head didn’t dull your biting tongue.”

She looked up to see Kenobi walking in. He held a shitty cup of coffee from the vending machine down the hall to his chest. The bags under his eyes were still there and he still looked tired. “Oh, it’s you.”

He sat down on the edge of her bed. “Yes. It’s me.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be working or something?” Y/N said with a final jab at the food before she pushed it away.

“I was given the day off.”

“Why?”

“Because I wasn’t in the right mindset to see patients when I heard you were hit by a car.”

Y/N stared at him for a moment before frowning. “That’s stupid.” He had told her time and time again that nothing distracted him from his work. Why should she?

“It isn’t stupid!” He said standing up. Anger colored his words as an angry blush covered his cheeks. His coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup and splattered against the thin blankets of her cot. “I was worried about you! You get hit by a car and then almost die on the table and you think it’s stupid that I wasn’t able to function in my job?! What is _wrong_ with you?!”

“I was fine!” Her heart rate monitor accelerated. The green light was sprinting back and forth, up and down.

“No, you weren’t! What part of ‘almost died’ don’t you understand? Did you hit your head that hard? Jesus, Y/N! I could’ve lost you!”

Y/N’s heart rate jumped even higher at his words. What?

Windu charged into the room and scowled. He turned to Kenobi. “Stop making her heart rate skyrocket like that. You know she shouldn’t be under any kind of stress.”

“I-”

And then he turned to Y/N. “And if I get another complaint from the patient next to you about yelling, I will give you the grossest nurse I can find to help you move to the bathroom. Am I understood?”

Y/N glared at him.

“I said, am I understood?”

She crossed her arms over her chest like a petulant child. “Fine,” she spit out.

“Good.” Windu turned back to Kenobi and stuck a finger out at him. “I’m watching you.” The imposing man then walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Y/N just looked at Kenobi, trying to find words to express how she felt. All she could find were insults. And that, apparently, wasn’t appropriate.

Dammit.

“What did you mean by that?” She asked, finally finding something to say.

“What?”

“That you could’ve lost me. That nonsense.”

He sighed and threw the now-half empty cup of coffee into her trashcan and ran a hand through his messy hair. “I… when I was told that you were in surgery, I realized something.”

“Was it that I took your favorite shirt last time I was over? I was getting it dry cleaned!”

“Shut up!” Kenobi yelled, completely exasperated. “I realized that what Padme and Anakin were saying was true: I’m completely in love with you!” He just stared at her, his blue eyes ablaze. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the reddish strands as he groaned. “I could’ve lost you and you…just sit there like nothing happened.” He sighed, his eyes sliding shut as Y/N remained quiet. “Never mind. Fuck it, just never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“You’re an idiot,” Y/N muttered, smiling.

“Don’t call me an idiot!” Kenobi exploded. “You don’t get to call me an idiot—I confessed I love you—you don’t get to insult me! Not right now!” He turned to leave.

“Obi-Wan,” Y/N called quietly.

He froze, halfway through the doorway. The sound of his first name on her tongue gave him pause and sent a spark down his spine. It sounded perfect.

She held out a hand, covered in IVs and tape, toward him.

He stared at her before slowly moving back into the room and shutting the door. Y/N curled her fingers around his when he reached out toward her too.

“You’re an idiot. An idiot for needing to tell me this only after I’ve been run over by a shitty SUV. An idiot for liking me at all. An idiot for not realizing I love you too.”

A smile broke across his face so large she was sure it would break. “That…was so cheesy,” he said as he gently cupped her face and wiped his calloused thumbs across her cheeks. “So fucking cheesy,” he repeated with a laugh.

They simply stared at each other for a moment before Obi-Wan gently brushed his lips against hers. He knew he shouldn’t and couldn’t push it with all of her IVs and injuries, but just a taste wasn’t enough. Instantly, he craved more, wished he had done this sooner, wished he’d realized his feelings earlier.

Y/N giggled against his lips. “You taste like crap coffee.”

“Shut up.” He kissed her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional plot lines inspired by this post on tumblr: http://envydean.tumblr.com/post/122598036460/hospital-otp-prompts
> 
> Please, tell me what you think! (Also, you guys have officially bypassed the amount of comments and subscriptions on my full-length fic. I never expected anyone to like this little series this much--so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!)


	8. ...Anakin was an Executive? (Complicated-A Boss AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday!  
> KaiserinCheshire requested a boss!AU for walking disaster Anakin Skywalker.  
> I rewrote this four times and I'm still not happy about it. I don't think I fulfilled the request and it is really fucking angsty.  
> I'm sorry in advance.

Complicated would be the best word to describe the entire situation. Y/N had met Padmé in primary school and they had instantly clicked. They were best friends from the get-go and their friendship had persisted through multiple moves, parents divorcing, questionable fashion, and everything in between. They were inseparable.

And then Padmé met Anakin in one of their shared business classes at undergrad. It was love at second sight for Padmé who initially needed some convincing to let the blond man take her out to coffee.

But it was love at first sight for Y/N. As soon as he had walked into their shared apartment with Padmé, she was a goner.

She frequently beat herself up over it. How could she possibly let Padmé know that she had feelings for her new boyfriend? Why couldn’t she have simply moved on?

But she didn’t. And she kept silent. She bit her tongue and just gave vague answers when Padmé asked why she wasn’t dating anyone. Anakin didn’t seem to notice either. But Y/N was very good at keeping everything friendly. She smiled and joked and drove him home when he was too drunk to get behind the wheel after a party and Padmé was away at a family function for the weekend.

“You’re the best,” Anakin would slur as he hugged her a bit too tight. And then he would press a sloppy kiss to her cheek before tapping her nose once and stumbling into his own apartment.

He would blush and apologize for it the following morning when she would arrive with ibuprofen and junk food for his hangover. And she grinned and bore it.

Years passed and they had all accepted jobs at the large corporation in the city. Padmé and Anakin were on the fast track to executive positions (Padmé in Research and Development and Anakin in Human Resources Management) and Y/N was gaining speed in the marketing department. She just assumed the couple was moving in together when Padmé had called her for lunch for a ‘big announcement.’ And she grinned and bore it until her cheeks hurt when Padmé announced their engagement.

The bachelorette party and bridal shower came and went and soon Y/N found herself helping Padmé into her gown as the maid of honor at the wedding.

“I don’t want anyone else standing up next to me today,” Padmé said with a smile before tightly hugging Y/N, both of them fighting back tears.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” And Y/N had meant it. Her mother had called her the “eternal last place” because of her inability to put her feelings first. But it didn’t matter—right? As long as her friends and family were happy?

Y/N clapped and cheered when Padmé and Anakin’s marriage was sealed with a kiss and was the first one to grab a flute of champagne after the pictures were finished and the reception had started.

“Starting early?” Obi-Wan, Anakin’s best man, asked with a laugh as he snuck up behind her.

“My feet hurt,” Y/N said as she kicked off her sky-high heels. It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth. Her and Obi-Wan had always gotten along. He was a few years older than her small little group but had still fit right in and he had been the one who had suggested they all apply to work together. He was the VP of international acquisitions and held a lot of power but it never seemed to go to his head. He was effortlessly easy to talk to. This was something Padmé noticed and tried to set them up but Y/N always politely declined. And Obi-Wan never seemed interested either. (Rumor had it he had some blonde diplomat waiting for him somewhere overseas.)

They talked for most of the reception until it was time for Y/N to give her maid of honor speech. Obi-Wan squeezed her hand before she was handed the microphone. Obi-Wan had just managed to get everyone in the reception hall to laugh and now it was her turn. She was just never good with jokes so, she didn’t write them.

“Padmé has been my best friend since I was tasked with learning the alphabet. She has been my closet confidante and friend—a sister that I never had. She has been one of the most selfless people I have ever met and I always knew she would achieve great things. And then she met Anakin. She was, as she will tell you, a little hesitant to go anywhere with him. Who can trust someone with a smile that bright?” It was her only joke and it earned a few chuckles. “But I see how beautifully they connect. It is something books are written about, a real life fairytale. Happiness and peace have always been goals for Padmé and as I look at her with you, Anakin,” Y/N’s voice broke for several reasons and she paused, pushing her hand over her mouth to collect herself as tears started to sting her eyes. She cleared her throat. “As I look at her with you, Anakin, I see that she has achieved that. Peace and happiness. And most importantly, love. There is so much love between you two.” Y/N smiled and raised her champagne. “I wish you both all the happiness, peace, and love in the galaxy. To the bride and groom, congratulations!” The crowd cheered and also toasted the couple.

Padmé quickly dragged Y/N into another bone-crushing hug and they both cried. Y/N had meant every word. She wanted them to be happy. It wasn’t about her anymore. It never was. “I can’t thank you enough,” Padmé whispered. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Y/N said with a slight smile. Her eyes flickered to Anakin who was looking at her.

He dipped his blond head and mouthed, “thank you,” with a smile.

Y/N just shut her eyes and pulled Padmé a little closer for a moment before letting her go.

Obi-Wan then pulled Y/N onto the dancefloor as a popular dance song started to pour from the speakers. “Beautiful speech, Y/N. Much better than mine.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Oh hush. Yours was perfect, everyone was laughing.”

“Sometimes laughter isn’t the best.” Obi-Wan pulled her closer and leaned down to her ear. “How long have you been in love with Anakin?”

Y/N froze in his arm. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t worry. I think only I’ve noticed. Your secret is safe with me.”

There was really no use in denying it now. The champagne seemed to have a put a stopper in her ability to lie and she just rested her head against Obi’s shoulder with a sigh.

Soon, Padmé’s eccentric aunt deemed it “tradition” for the best man to dance with the bride and the maid of honor to dance with the groom.

Y/N pushed a smile onto her face and let Anakin pull her to the dance floor as an awkwardly slow song started to play. His grip was inviting and she could smell his expensive cologne. Her head was buzzing and her heart fluttered.

“I wanted to thank you for helping Padmé with everything,” He whispered to her with another bright smile.

“Of course. I’d do anything for her.”

“I know. You are always putting her first.” He sighed. “And I just…and I know this is going to sound terrible, but I want you to know that it’s okay to be a little selfish. Put yourself first.”

Y/N felt a bitter smile hit her lips. “I think you’re a few decades late with that suggestion. But it’s okay. I like seeing her happy.” Y/N spared a glance at Obi-Wan and Padmé who were busy twirling around and laughing, completely out of step with the beat of the song.

“You’ve been a great friend to me too, Y/N. I don’t think I would’ve survived undergrad without you. You’re like my guiding light.”

Y/N laughed and shut her eyes for a moment, feeling another sting of tears. She could just blame it on the champagne if she wanted to. “Padmé is your guiding light. I just make sure you don’t kill yourself when she’s not around.”

“No,” Anakin laughed. “Padmé is my angel.” He winced when he said it. “Don’t tell anyone I call her that. She’d kill me.”

“I promise,” Y/N said, finding his unraveled bowtie very interesting as it hung around his neck with the top few buttons of his shirt undone. She suddenly wished she had been born blind. She didn’t need to be thinking about how handsome her best friend’s new husband was on their wedding night.

“Seriously. You’re one of my closest friends. I’m sure I would’ve died without you. Padmé is my angel but you are my guiding light, someone who can calm me down when even Padmé is driving me nuts—which she does, don’t deny it.” He tapped the end of her nose with a laugh. It had been awhile since he had done that and now the tears couldn’t be stopped. A few slid down her cheeks, surely making a mess of her makeup. “Don’t cry,” Anakin said, gently wiping her tears away. They had both stopped dancing now and were simply staring at each other.

“Look how happy she is for them,” a wedding guest whispered as they passed them on the dance floor.

“Such a good friend,” another said.

“Sorry,” Y/N said with a watery smile.

“Don’t ever say sorry to me, okay?” Anakin wrapped his arms around her again and resumed the dance. “You never have anything to be sorry for.”

**

A few years had passed and Y/N and Padmé were still best friends and Y/N still repressed her feelings. She made half-hearted attempts at dating but called it off after a few dinner outings. Nothing felt right.

When Padmé barged into Y/N’s corner office in the marketing department with a large smile on her face and their favorite takeout in her hands, she knew the brunette had big news.

“I’m pregnant!” Padmé squealed.

Y/N quickly wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug. “Congratulations, sweetheart! I’m so happy for you!”

And she was. And she grinned and bore it.

And when Anakin and Padmé invited her and Obi-wan to dinner a few weeks later, asking them to be god parents, Y/N accepted with a smile.

“Don’t tell Padmé,” Anakin said as he hugged Y/N goodnight, “but I hope they act more like you.”

**

When the twins’ first birthday rolled around, they were showered with gifts and love. Little Leia looked like Padmé and little Luke was the spitting image of his father. And Y/N’s heart was almost filled to bursting when she felt their chubby little fingers wrap around hers.

Maybe this was enough.

Maybe this would be okay.

Everyone was happy.

And then Padmé was struck and killed by a drunk driver when she was coming home from a late night at the office. Y/N could’ve sworn she had felt part of her soul die with Padmé. The world had gone off kilter. It no longer had balance and was a little dimmer without her best friend.

She had lost count of how many times she found herself sobbing until she could no longer pull in a steady breath and her legs gave out.

Padmé was gone.

The funeral was small despite Padmé’s many admirers and Y/N held Leia as Obi-wan held Luke. Anakin was beside himself as he watched the coffin get lowered into the ground, topped with lilies.

And suddenly, it didn’t feel like Y/N knew Anakin anymore. He didn’t laugh like he used to. He didn’t smile. And when he held his children, it was with this forlorn look in his eyes that almost moved Y/N to tears.

Weight dropped off of him and he picked up his bad habit of smoking—something Y/N had helped him quit back in undergrad. And Y/N had finally had enough. She knew the twins needed their father, they needed him more than ever—despite the various nannies and housekeepers the Skywalker estate now employed.

So, one afternoon, she barged into Anakin’s house and shook his shoulder as he slept past noon on a weekend.

“What?” He asked, groggily.

“Get up,” Y/N said, nearly biting. “Don’t you hear your babies crying for you?”

“They aren’t crying for me. That’s the cry they do when they want Padmé…” He shoved his face back into his pillow.

“They need you, Anakin. Get up and take care of your babies.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I can’t. I can’t do it without her.”

And Y/N watched as he shook with violent sobs, pulling the pillow closer to try to muffle the gasps and struggles for breath between the tears. Slowly, she kicked off her shoes and slid into the bed next to him and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her cheek against his back and gently shushed him, occasionally running her hands up and down his back and over his arms, trying to get him to calm down. It was the only way she thought to comfort him. And soon he turned in her hold to pull her close and press himself close to her until there was no space between them.

Y/N wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed with him crying into her but she just laid there and let him, let him finally express his grief which had consumed him.

And it had consumed her too.

**

Anakin seemed a little better after Y/N had visited him and went with him to his first few therapy sessions. He smiled just a little more, he laughed at Obi-Wan’s abundance of sass. And now he held his children a little tighter, became more involved in their lives, taking every opportunity to see them and encourage them.

“It was what Padmé was best at,” Anakin said one day as Y/N joined him at the neighborhood park. They watched the twins, now three, run around and kick up woodchips before racing to the slide. “She always encouraged them to reach a little farther, to dream a little bigger.” He smiled but it was bitter and he curled his fingers around Y/N’s as he sighed. “I never did thank you, you know.”

“For what?” Y/N asked.

“For being my guiding light again. You got me out and back into my kids’ lives again. I can’t thank you enough.” He turned to her and gently kissed her cheek and Y/N tried to repress a blush. Now was not the time. “Thank you,” he whispered against her skin.

“I’m always here,” Y/N said. She looked out to see Leia convincing Luke to go down the largest slide. “Always.”

From then on, Y/N found Anakin frequently coming to her with lunch—and sometimes Obi-Wan would join but he was usually out gallivanting across the globe in search of new and old companies to buy out. And sometimes they wouldn’t say anything as they sat in her office and ate and sometimes they were so filled emotion (both happy and sad) that Y/N’s assistant sometimes had to ask them to be quiet because potential clients were getting annoyed while waiting for their appointment.

The friendship Y/N had with Anakin didn’t waver. It simply blossomed into something different. They were each other’s pillar of strength but neither actually said that. It was quiet and calming. Anakin and Y/N were both promoted quickly. They had thrown themselves into their work. There had been whispers that Anakin would soon be the youngest president ever to helm the firm and Y/N couldn’t have been more proud. 

But there were also whispers about Y/N. Every time she had to report to Anakin’s office for a presentation and every time Anakin called her up to his floor for an “opinion” on something, there were whispers. Anakin was now in a position of power over her. It didn’t matter that they had been friends for almost a decade. 

He was the boss and she was the “marketing girl” in a short skirt. 

“Another late night?” Anakin asked as he watched Y/N trudge into the elevator, well passed the time she usually went home.

“What gave it away?” she asked with a smirk. The elevators door closed and they slowly began their descent to the underground parking garage. “You too?”

“Yeah. Windu is a bit of a task master. Kiddos are with my mom tonight anyway. She says she never gets enough time with them.”

Y/N smiled. “You know he’s just hard on you because he’s grooming you to take over the company one day. It’ll be worth it.”

“I hope so.” Anakin laughed. “I hope so. And then I’ll have you and Obi by my side and we’ll take over the world.”

And then the elevator’s lights flickered and it gave off an awful groan before completely stopping. They were left in complete darkness for a moment before the red emergency light kicked on, basking them in a pinkish glow.

“Fantastic,” Y/N bemoaned before using the comm system to call for help. It would be a while before they would be rescued.

Anakin and Y/N passed the time like they usually did, by talking and reminiscing. They laughed despite how warm it had become in the small space and Y/N found herself placing her head in his lap as they lounged on the elevator floor.

“Tired?” He asked as he started to fiddle with her hair.

“Exhausted. That new billboard design is kicking my butt. And don’t even get me started on the internet fiasco.”

Anakin had, of course, heard about how one of the company’s logos had been snuck into a high-budget porn’s background scenery. The studio had said it was an accident but everyone was still up in arms about it and it fell to Y/N to design a new logo and try to distance the company from the previous one.

They were both quiet for a moment and Y/N sighed, her eyes sliding shut.

“You know,” Anakin started, “I’m technically your boss.”

“Are you going to give me a raise?” Y/N laughed.

“No, I’m just thinking of all the rumors that are sure to spread tomorrow if anyone knows we were trapped in here together.”

Y/N snorted. “They already talk about us.” It was true. Even when Padmé was alive, there had always been corporate whispers about their relationship. They had only intensified when Anakin made it a point to spend time with Y/N. Some saw her quick rise to power as something she attained by sleeping with Anakin. God forbid she work hard and be rewarded.

(And to be truthful, she would sleep with Anakin with absolutely no reward, if given the chance. But she knew there were always strings attached. And she couldn’t get tangled.)

“I like the rumors,” Anakin said as he pulled on a strand with another quiet chuckle. “They make me laugh.”

Y/N just slapped his thigh with a groan. He, of course, didn’t have to side-eye from the secretaries and the sudden whispers and silences when she passed through a room. He probably got high-fived for metaphorically fucking her.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Anakin asked quietly.

Y/N cracked one eye open and looked at him. “You’re tired, Ani.”

“No. I really think you’re beautiful.”

“The light’s messing with your eyes.”

He flicked her forehead with a scowl, prompting her to actually look at him. “Take the damn compliment.”

“Fine.”

“Say thank you.”

“Thank you.”

He continued to fiddle with her hair as they heard the firemen and mechanics start to work on the elevator.

“We should probably get up,” Y/N whispered.

“Probably.”

Y/N rolled off of him and helped Anakin off the floor. She smiled up at him as the lights flickered on and the elevator once again ran on track. But there was something in Anakin’s eyes now. Something that sent a jolt right down her spine as he looked down at her.

And slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned down until his lips just brushed against hers. It was the briefest of touches but it still stole her breath and sent her heart racing.

The elevator dinged as they reached the parking garage and they both stepped back.

Y/N walked forward first, pulling her bag up higher onto her shoulder. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe he was just seeing her as an extension of Padmé, as a way of holding onto her. 

Maybe he regretted it as soon as it happened.

“Y/N?” Anakin asked, stalling her steps.

She turned back, praying her blush wasn’t as vibrant as it felt. “Yes?”

“I know what you’re doing. Don’t overthink it. Okay?”

A small smile started to pull at her lips which still tingled from his touch. “I’ll try.”

And then he gave her one of those heart-stopping smiles which always made her knees a bit weak. “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**

But Y/N, of course, did overthink it. She got absolutely no sleep that night despite being absolutely exhausted. She tossed and turned all night and only managed to look presentable the next morning through the power of caffeine pills and makeup.

She trudged into work and was instantly greeted with the sight of little Luke and Leia waiting patiently for her in her office.

“Aunt Y/N!” Luke cheered before leaping off the high-backed leather chair and wrapping his arms around her knees. “Good morning!” He sang. She had always been Aunt Y/N to them. It was easier to call her that than just Mom’s-friend-Y/N.

Leia just waved and continued to color in the book in front of her which looked suspiciously like the design Y/N had been working on last night.

Oh well.

“Hi, kiddos.” She ruffled Luke’s hair. “What’re you doing down here? Where’s your father?”

“Daddy said he was ‘possed to surprise you,” Leia said.

And then, as if on cue, the door to her office opened and Anakin walked in with a box of donuts and a carrier of tea and coffee and chocolate milk cartons. A bashful smile hit his face when he saw Y/N. “Sorry, the delivery guy wouldn’t come up and I had to run down to the street to grab everything and I didn’t think it would take this long.” He blushed and set everything on her desk. “The kids wanted to see you and mom’s got an appointment this morning so I couldn’t just leave them at home.”

Y/N just smiled and shook her head. She looked down at Luke who was still clinging to her legs. “Did you miss me, Luke?”

“Yup! Every day. You make me happy and you make Leia happy—even though she’s mean to me alllll the time—” Leia gave an affronted squawk at this, “and you make daddy happy. Everyone’s happy with you. Happy, happy, happy.”

A blush touched Y/N’s cheeks and she quickly grabbed a donut and bit into it to disguise it. “You make me happy too.” Her eyes briefly shot to Anakin who was just watching her with Luke, a gentle smile on his face.

The rest of the morning was spent in her office, catching up on the twins’ adventures with their grandmother Shmi in between sips of tea and donuts. Both of them took after Padmé in regards to intellect and had a tutor come to their house three times a week to give them a jumpstart for kindergarten.

Leia, after apologizing for scribbling all over the markup for the new logo, curled into Y/N’s lap and leaned against her shoulder. “I love you, Aunt Y/N.”

“I love you too, Sweet pea.”

“Daddy said that you might not stick around after Mommy went away—but I knew you’d stay. You love us.”

Y/N once again looked to Anakin who was now staring at her with that same intensity from last night. “I…um…” Y/N fumbled with her words under his gaze. “I do love you. I’m never going away.” She pressed a kiss to Leia’s messy mop of curls.

Eventually, Y/N’s assistant knocked and let herself in. She arched an eyebrow of the sight of the twins and Anakin in her boss’ office but didn’t say anything. “Mister Plo-Koon is here to see you, ma’am.”

Y/N nodded. She knew the attorney was going to arrive this morning to discuss legal action against the “film company” for defamation of character for the company but she must have lost track of time. “I’ll be ready in just a moment.”

The assistant just nodded and let herself out.

Y/N looked at Anakin who quickly picked up Luke, who let out a laugh as he was hoisted over his dad’s shoulder. “C’mon kiddos, Aunt Y/N has work to do. And Grandma should be here soon to pick you up. Say bye.”

Leia murmured a soft goodbye before kissing Y/N’s cheek and taking her father’s hand.

“I want to say bye too!” Luke said.

Anakin rolled his eyes but walked over and then leaned down so Luke could press a kiss to Y/N’s cheek too. “Bye!” He sang. “Now you have to kiss Aunt Y/N, daddy!”

“Yeah!” Leia agreed.

“Um-”

Y/N’s feeble attempt to talk her way out of it was cut off as Anakin’s lips once again pressed against hers. It lingered for just a moment before he pulled away. “Lunch today? My office?”

“Yeah, sure,” Y/N answered, her voice embarrassingly breathy.

Anakin smiled and Y/N blushed. “Good.” And then he led his small children out of her office and disappeared.

**

Y/N spent a stupid amount of time trying to smooth out her appearance as the time inched closer and closer to lunch. Was her hair too frizzy? Was her makeup running? Was her shirt too frumpy?

“You seem a bit nervous,” Obi-Wan said, appearing in her doorway without a sound.

Y/N jumped and nearly toppled before glaring good-naturedly at the older man. “You need to make noise when you move.”

He smiled. “Now, what’s the fun in that?”

“When did you get back? And where were you again?”

Obi-Wan settled himself into the chair Leia once occupied and frowned for a moment before pulling a crayon out from underneath the cushion. “Did the twins visit or have you taken up coloring to relieve stress?”

“That’s actually a proven stress relief technique, you know.” She laughed. “But the twins did visit. So?” She asked, pulling him back to her questions.

“I got back last night and I was in Morocco.” He cocked his head to the side and Y/N knew that look. “And when I stopped into the office late last night, I received a very strange call.”

“Oh?” Y/N said, finding whatever was on her computer screen to be very interesting.

“Yes. It seemed that two people got themselves stuck in an elevator. Security called my office to make sure it wasn’t me. So, I walked down to the security office to see the poor souls who had gotten themselves stuck. And lo and behold, it was you and Anakin.”

Y/N stayed silent, feeling a blush start to crawl from her neck to her hairline.

“Isn’t there something you want to say?”

Just as soon as her resolve to not say anything started, it crumbled. “What do you want me to say, Obi?” Y/N asked, holding her head in her hands. “How much did you see? Is security going to tell anyone? I…it was probably a fluke anyway. I’m not…I was never meant to be with Anakin. It was always Padmé. It will always be Padmé. I’m sure he doesn’t even look at me like that.”

Obi frowned. “How blind are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did you not see what I saw last night? It was like watching a bad romantic movie.”

“Thanks for that,” she hissed.

“I’m just saying that he does look at you in that way. He does. And he has for a while. And if his overly romantic gestures are lost on you, I have absolutely no advice left.”

“But Padmé-”

“She would want you to be happy, Y/N. Don’t you see that? You were her family and I’m sure, wherever she is, she sees you taking care of her kids, of Anakin. And she sees how long you’ve been in love with Anakin. But just this once, I need you to put yourself first. I am so tired of you pining away for him without actually making a move. He’s made plenty!”

“I just don’t want to ruin anything,” she answered weakly.

Obi-Wan got up from his chair, walked around her desk, and spun her chair so she was facing him. He grabbed her face and stared down at her. “Listen to me right now. You are not ruining anything. I promise you that.”

Y/N blinked back tears and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Good.” Obi pressed a friendly kiss to her forehead. “Now, go make all those rumors a reality.”

“Excuse me?”

Obi chuckled, still holding her face. “Of course I’ve heard about the rumors. The cute, little marketing manager possibly sleeping with the VP of operations? It’s hilarious.”

“You were on a different continent! How did you hear about that?”

“I have spies everywhere. It keeps people on their toes. It also lets me know when someone is trying to steal my job.” He stood straight and smirked. “Now go.”

Y/N sighed and rolled her shoulders before standing up. “Do I look okay?”

“Like you’re about to set the rumor mill on fire.”

Y/N rolled her eyes before kissing Obi’s cheek. “I’ll let you know how everything goes.”

“Good!”

Y/N let her assistant she was going to lunch before getting into the elevator and pushing the button for the highest floor where Anakin and Mace’s offices were located. The doors opened with a soft chime and Y/N smiled and waved at Ahsoka, Anakin’s assistant. The woman froze, her eyes widening.

Y/N brushed off the strange reaction before gently knocking on Anakin’s door twice and letting herself in. She froze in her tracks as she felt her heart sink to her stomach. In front of her was Anakin and in his arms was the pretty blonde from accounting. Their lips were locked in a heated kiss.

A soft gasp escaping Y/N’s mouth broke them apart.

Anakin’s eyes widened and the blonde smirked.

“Y/N-”

“Sir,” Y/N said, trying to save her dignity despite the hollow ache growing at an alarming rate in her chest, “I have the new mark-up for the logo. The file is too large for email but I wanted to let you know. Please let me know when I can send it up to Ahsoka for you to review.”

And then she turned on her heel on walked away, letting the thick glass door close softly behind her.

“Miss L/N,” Ahsoka started, rising from her chair.

“Have a good day, Ahsoka,” Y/N said in clipped tones before getting back into the elevator. She jammed the button for Obi-Wan’s floor and finally let out a choked sob when the doors shut.

She had been right. It had been a fluke. It had been a mistake. He had never meant to reciprocate her feelings. And she didn’t think she could grin and bear this one—not this time.

Blindly, dodging interns and other various office workers, she walked to Obi-Wan’s office and let herself in without knocking.

“Y/N?”

She crumpled into the nearest chair and let the tears fall.

His strong arms wrapped around her without hesitation and she pressed her face into his neck. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she let him hold her but eventually she pulled back and wiped at her cheeks, thankful for waterproof mascara.

“What happened?” He asked quietly.

Y/N explained between watery hiccups the entire fiasco. “I knew I was right.” She gave a broken, watery smile. “It’s fine though. I think I’m used to this feeling now.”

“What feeling?”

“Absolute heartbreak. I should stop getting my hopes up. I’ve grinned and bore everything up until now. I should’ve…I’ll be okay, Obi. Sorry for crying on your shoulder.” She winced as she saw the large wet spot on the shoulder of his crisp, white button-up. “God, let me take that to the cleaners. And I definitely owe you lunch now.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “Stop.”

“What?”

“Stop repressing everything. Put yourself first, Y/N. You should’ve screamed, slapped him, something! He’s a complete idiot.”

“No, I think that’s me.” She wiped her cheeks again, feeling a few residual tears track down her skin. “I’m going to go home, watch some tacky soap operas, and maybe book a vacation. God knows I need one of those.” She pulled in a shaky breath and stood. “Thanks, Obi.” She gently hugged him and he held her there for a moment as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

“It’ll get better, Y/N. I promise.”

Y/N just shut her eyes and tried to focus on the beat of his heart instead of the ache in her chest.

“Y/N?”

They broke apart to see Anakin in the doorway. His fists were clenched at his sides as his blue eyes darted from Y/N to Obi-Wan and then back to Y/N.

“What do you want, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked.

“This doesn’t concern you!” Anakin retorted.

“Anakin, please-”

“It does concern me when she comes crying to me about you.”

“Y/N-”

“Shut the damn door,” Y/N bit out when she noticed the curious eyes trained on Kenobi’s office.

Anakin angrily shut the door and glared at them. “There, now we have our privacy. Now tell me how long this has been going on?”

“Excuse me?” Y/N said, stepping out of her friend’s grasp. “How dare you! I catch you with some other woman and you have the audacity to ask me about my relationship? With your best friend?”

“Anakin, see reason,” Obi-Wan said.

“ _She_ kissed _me_!”

“And I didn’t see you stopping her.” Y/N looked at him, too tired to glare. “What do you want, Ani? I’m too tired for this.”

“I love you,” Anakin said.

“Ah, that’s my cue to go.” And before Y/N could protest, Obi-Wan was gone. “Go back to work!” He heard him shout at the various office workers before the door closed.

“What?” Y/N asked.

“I love you.” He stepped closer.

“No, you don’t, Anakin. You’re just confused.” She desperately wanted what he had said to be true. But she knew it wasn’t.

“I’m not confused. I’ve felt this way for a long time. It was a long time coming and you know it.” He stepped ever closer still. “You started off at my friend. Then became my rock. And I **love** you—I want to wake up every day with you beside me. I want you to help me raise my kids because they love you. I love the way your nose scrunches up when you laugh really hard. I love the way you blush. I love the way you know how to calm my kids down when I’m over my head. I love the way you make me a better man. I love you.” By now, Anakin was standing in front of her. His blue eyes were searching hers, desperate for something.

Y/N’s heart was thundering in her chest and another wave of tears started to sting her eyes. “Do you mean that?”

“Every word.”

“And what about that woman-”

“She means nothing to me. Seriously, she kissed me and I froze. And then you were there and I… I couldn’t find you. I looked all over the building for you. And then I was coming here to ask Obi-Wan for help and then I saw you with him and then I got angry. I just…didn’t want to miss my chance.” His warm hand gently cupped her cheek and she couldn’t stop the smile that spread over her lips.

“You didn’t,” she softly whispered, her eyes fluttering shut as his warmth spread throughout her very being. Y/N’s thundering heart finally calmed. It was complete serenity as Anakin finally wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Ani.” She looked up at him as he smiled.

“We’ve both waited long enough, haven’t we?” His voice was soft.

“We have.”

And then he kissed her. It was everything she had ever dreamed it would be. Soft but hard, full of emotion neither of them had expressed. Y/N pulled him closer, curling her hands into the lapels of his expensive suit jacket. His hands tangled in her hair as she let her hands finally revel in the feel of him. He was hard and muscled, and warm under her fingers. Perfect. The kiss escalated and they both swallowed the other's breathy moans and gasps as their tongues continued to tangle.

Finally, they pulled away, both of their chests heaving to drag in oxygen. He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before lightly tapping her nose.

“Let’s go face the masses.”

**

“Are you ready?” Little Leia asked. At four years old now, the small brunette at the presence of a princess-the soft pink dress only added to her image.

Y/N adjusted the floral crown on her head before helping Leia with hers. “I am. Are you?”

Leia lifted the small flower girl basket higher, spilling a few of the petals on the suite floor. “I am! Let’s go!”

Y/N laughed as Leia took her hand and basically dragged her out of the bridal suite and down to the small garden of the property.

It was going to be an intimate ceremony. Both she and Anakin had had enough of everyone whispering about them and didn’t need a lavish wedding to exacerbate any of the rumors. A handful of attendees were already seated and the coordinator smiled as Y/N and Leia rounded the corner.

She handed Y/N her delicate bouquet of tiger lilies. “Show time.”

Leia went first, throwing handfuls of rose petals along the mossy walkway with scientific precision as a string quartet played soft music.

Y/N straightened her shoulders as the coordinator gave her the cue. She couldn’t help but smile as she saw Anakin and Luke (the smallest best man ever) waiting for her at the end of the aisle.

This was a fairytale. It had been built with broken pieces and heartache. But it was a fairytale. It was filled with love and finally had a happy ending—which was about to become a very happy beginning.

As Y/N placed her hand in Anakin’s, she was sure her heart was about to burst with complete joy.

“I love you,” Anakin mouthed to her as the officiant started the ceremony.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I am so sorry if that is complete crap. I tried. I really, really did.  
> But it is so hard for me to write about Anakin. He and Padme belong together in my head. Just like Han and Leia. So...I'm sorry if this isn't up to par with the other one-shots. So sorry!  
> And, because I'm obsessed with AniDala and Obi-Wan, I'm planning on writing a FixIT! one-shot with an OC/Obi-Wan dynamic. Would you guys be interested in reading that?
> 
> ALSO! Requests are STILL closed and Poe is up next! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. ...Poe was a Fireman? (Buttersworth-A Fireman AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This request came in from a guest named Em who wanted an Alpha!Male Poe as a firefighter.  
> I am so sorry if this isn't what you expected. I...tried. I'm sorry.  
> And the rest of the plot was inspired by this tumblr post: http://otpisms.tumblr.com/post/136891526657/otp-idea-335

Y/N was perfectly capable of taking care of everything she needed, thank you very much. After being constantly let down by basically everyone around her, she became extremely self-reliant and absolutely detested asking anyone for help.

And so, when she moved to a new city for her new job as an editor for a major publishing house, she thought she could handle everything. The move had gone smoothly. 

Everything was settled. Everything in its place.

…except for her cat, Buttersworth.

“That fucking cat,” Y/N seethed as she searched the still unfamiliar townhouse for the ornery Maine Coon. And she couldn’t find her.

But she did find, however, was an open window in her office which led out to a tree in the front of her house. Y/N squinted at the lush branches and was rewarded with a loud, “meow.”

“Dammit, Buttersworth!” She seethed. Y/N leaned out of the window in an attempt to grab the nearest branch and possibly get into the tree and grab her damn cat but the branch was just out of reach. And there was absolutely no way she was going to try and jump for it; if she missed, she would fall two stories to the cracked sidewalk below. “Get back here!”

Another meow was her answer.

“I should’ve left you at the shelter, you damned cat.” Hoping against hope, she leaned out the window again to try and grab the branch.

“What’re you doing?” Someone yelled from below.

Startled, Y/N almost fell. She glared down at the source of the voice. It was a man with a headful of black hair, dark eyes, and his arms were crossed over his broad chest as he stared up at her.

“What?”

“You’re going to fall out of that window!”

“I’m trying to get my cat!”

“You’re going to kill yourself, you know!”

“I’m fine!”

“Hang on, let me get my ladder.” He started to walk off toward a truck with a ladder in the back.

“I said I’m fine!” Y/N now reached farther, determined to get her cat back all by herself. But Buttersworth just hissed and scampered closer to the trunk, farther away from Y/N.

The ladder gave a metal clang as it was set against the tree and the man from before quickly appeared next to Buttersworth and easily scooped her up and made his way back down.

Y/N bit her tongue and walked down the stairs and stepped outside just in time to see the man press a kiss to Buttersworth’s head as she happily purred in his arms. While this man was undeniably attractive (dammit), he really didn’t need to get Buttersworth from the tree. Y/N really could’ve handled it.

“So, this is your cat?” He hoisted her a bit higher. 

“Yup.” Y/N licked her lips and attempted to swallow her pride. “So, thanks. For getting her down, I mean.” She held out her arms to grab her cat but he didn’t budge.

“What kind of cat is she? She’s humongous.” True, Buttersworth was gigantic in regards to size—the heavy coat she always sported didn’t help either. She was a monster of a cat.

“She’s a Maine Coon. They’re supposed to be that big. Can I-”

“She’s almost as big as my dog, BB-8. What’s her name?”

“Buttersworth—and no, I didn’t name her. She came with that name from the shelter.” Y/N stepped closer to him, as if that would prompt him to give her the cat back.

No luck.

“Ah, I got BB-8 from a shelter too. He was just a puppy though, so I got to pick his name. I don’t think Buttersworth suits this pretty lady.”

“Well, raging asshole doesn’t roll of the tongue quite as easily.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Can I please have my cat back?”

The man blushed but handed the cat over to Y/N. Buttersworth quickly curled her tail around Y/N’s arm, something she always did as an apology. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. So, um, thanks again for that. I would’ve gotten her down by myself eventually.”

The man shrugged. “I don’t mind helping people. Everyone needs an extra hand every once in a while.” He flashed her a bright, dazzling smile and Y/N was loathed to realize her heart had fluttered.

“I’m Poe, Poe Dameron, by the way.”

“I’m Y/N L/N.”

“Are you new here?”

“Did the ‘sold’ sign on the gate not give it away?” She quipped.

Poe just laughed. “Yeah, sorry. I’m bad at making conversation.”

“I’m sure you’re fine at making conversation. I’m just bad at keeping up with it.” She adjusted her hold on Buttersworth before forcing a smile to her face. “Thanks again.”

“Um, yeah. Definitely. Any time.”

“I’ll see you around,” Y/N said knowing full well that it was doubtful she would ever see him again.

“See you around.” He smiled again and then jogged back to his truck.

Y/N watched him go for a moment before stepping up the stone steps to her door. “You’re an asshole,” she said as she scratched Buttersworth behind her ears.

The cat just purred.

**

It was a few months later when Y/N actually did run into Poe again. It took her a moment to figure out why this man was waving at her as she perused the vegetable section at the grocery store. But, eventually, it clicked.

“How’s Buttersworth?” He asked as he rolled his cart next to hers.

“She’s good.”

“Good! You know I was talking to your neighbor and she said that your front gate is a bit wobbly. I can fix that, if you like.”

Y/N frowned. Why was he talking to her neighbor? “Ah. Maybe.”

“Yeah, Old Ms. Kanata can talk your ear off, you know? She calls me up at least once a month to fix something in her house. She might actually be breaking stuff, if I’m being completely honest with you. I really don’t think a hole would ‘mysteriously’ appear in her wall that many times.” He chuckled at his own joke.

The tension in Y/N’s shoulders eased just a bit. He was a repairman. That was why he was talking to her neighbor—who apparently put holes in the wall in order to get him to come around. Whatever. And that was why he was in her neighborhood a few months ago.

Ah, mystery solved.

“Well, it was good to see you, Cameron.”

“It’s Dameron,” he said with a smile and without any trace of anger. Was this guy made of cinnamon rolls? What the hell.

“Right. My mistake. Have a good day,” Y/N said, hurriedly pushing her cart away. She’d get her artichokes later.

“You too!” He shouted at her retreating back.

**

It was roughly two weeks later when Y/N saw Poe again.

This time his face was plastered across her television screen. Soot was tracked against his high cheekbones as the remnants of a smoking building provided a backdrop to his interview on the local news station. His yellow protective gear was dirty too and his helmet was just a bit crooked but Y/N still felt the absolutely useless butterflies attack her stomach.

“…thankfully, my team was able to get everyone out. Including this little guy,” Poe said, hoisting a small puppy higher to make sure the camera got a shot. The puppy howled and Poe chuckled, once again bringing the puppy closer to his chest. The puppy instantly started to lick at Poe’s cheek.

“You’re a hero,” the reporter said.

Y/N rolled her eyes. The entire interview had been plagued with breathy tones and unabashed flirting (or attempts at flirting) from the reporter. Poe, however, just continued to smile and kept everything friendly but professional. Y/N had already drafted a letter to the news station complaining of the reporter’s unprofessional conduct.

Y/N was intrigued that the reporter had managed to weasel Poe’s life story out of him so quickly; he was a pilot in the military for a few years and after he left, he became a firefighter and he ran a home-improvement company on the side because he was “bored and liked helping people.”

She wasn’t quite aware why she felt absolutely furious about the interview—she thought Poe was a bit too good, too kind, too ready to help. And no one was actually that good. Everyone had the innate capability of letting others down.

But there was just something about Poe that had wiggled its way under her skin. And she couldn’t shake it.

She glanced one more time at the screen, caught another glance of Poe’s infuriating smile, and shut off the television.

**

Summer faded into Fall and one morning, as Y/N opened the front gate, she froze. The wrought-iron gate didn’t creak and grown in protest.

Y/N paused, her hand still wrapped around the gate, wracking her brain as to how that could have happened. Then it dawned on her. “Dameron.” 

She closed the gate and went to work, trying to ignore the nagging voice at the back of her mind that was telling her to at least write him a thank you card. But she hadn’t asked him to fix her gate. She shouldn’t have to write him a note at all. 

So…that was that then. 

But, it seemed the world was against her. 

When she ran to the corner shop to pick up half a gallon of skim milk, she was confronted with Poe’s stupid face. This time, however, it was plastered on the front a calendar. It was apparently a charity calendar the local city council sponsored—all the money went to animal shelters. Of course it did. Curiosity got the best of her and Y/N turned the calendar over to get a ‘sneak peek’ at the lineup. Her eyes went right to Poe. Apparently, this calendar was aimed toward those who appreciated the male form because Poe was shirtless and was only wearing his yellow, fire-retardant trousers, boots, and helmet. His suspenders were pulled up and his amazingly defined abs were exposed and his bulging arm muscles were front and center as he cuddled a puppy in one arm and a kitten in the other. His smile was bright and his dark eyes were sparkling. 

“He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” Another woman asked, appearing behind Y/N. “He does the calendar every year. The funds raised have quadrupled since his pretty mug volunteered to be part of it.”

“Yeah, he’s okay.” Y/N said as she threw the calendar down. 

As she pulled into her usual parking spot in front of her house, she nearly screamed. 

Poe was up on a ladder, in her tree, cuddling her cat. His firetruck was parked just down the street.

Y/N slammed her car door and held her milk and purse close to her chest. 

Poe turned to look at her, that same smile on his face, before sliding down the ladder with ease and walking over to her. “It looks like Buttersworth got out again.”

“Really? What gave it away?” The damn cat must have opened the door to the office and climbed out of the window into the tree—again. 

Poe just laughed. “Luckily Ms. Kanata noticed this pretty lady in the tree and called me.”

“Yeah,” Y/N said as she gently pulled her cantankerous cat into her arms. “Lucky.” She took a moment to look him over. It was the first time she had seen him in his fireman’s uniform in person. And now she knew what he looked like under that heavy jacket. (Dammit.) “Thanks, Dameron. And, uh, thanks for the gate too.” 

“Call me Poe.”

“Not gonna happen,” Y/N muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Ho-kay. Well, anyway, I’m always here to help. You just have to call. I wouldn’t mind.” And then that dazzling smile split his face again. 

“Great. Thanks.” She hoisted her cat and milk and purse a little higher and started to walk toward her house.

“Do you need help? Your hands are full.” He took a step toward her.

“Nope! I’m fine! Thanks!” She managed to get her door open and then slam it shut behind her.

**

As winter raged around her, Y/N was contemplating murder as she once again stared out of the window she didn’t remember leaving open, to the tree to Buttersworth who was happily swatting at the falling snowflakes as she perched on a tree branch.

“Asshole cat.”

Buttersworth meowed.

“Don’t argue. I think you’re doing this on purpose. What have I ever done to you to make you hate me this much? I feed you every day. I let you shed all over my clothes and furniture. I saved you from the shelter. And this is how you repay me?”

Another meow.

“Rude.” Y/N slammed the window shut with a sigh and rubbed her temples. The wind had blown the manuscript she was working on all over the office. It would take her hours to pull it back together. After pulling on her heavy coat and boots, she trudged outside with a bag of catnip in her hand. She shook the bag as she reached the base of the tree, letting the pellets jostle around in the plastic, making a rattling sound. Buttersworth looked down for a moment then continued to bat at snowflakes.

Y/N tried again and again but received no response.

Time for drastic measures. She tucked the bag of treats into her coat packet and reached up to the nearest branch. It had been a few years since she had actually had to climb a tree, but really, what could go wrong?

As Y/N reached about twelve feet up into the tree, the branch she was on let out an alarming cracking noise. Y/N scrambled to grab onto another branch. Her fingers slipped on the ice that had coated the wood but she launched herself at the trunk as the branch suddenly gave out.

A whimper escaped her as she heard the branch crash against the icy sidewalk. The bark of the tree was scratching her face as she attempted to tighten her grip on the tree. If she fell now, she would surely break her leg—at least. Her feet barely touched the stub of a branch below her, making her stand nearly en pointe uncomfortably.

Buttersworth meowed again, appearing above Y/N’s head.

“This is your fault!” Y/N hissed.

“Oh, dear, what are you doing up there?” A frail voice asked from below.

Y/N managed to look down to see Ms. Kanata. She was bundled up in an old fur coat with her vintage Dior sunglasses over her face. “I decided to go for a climb, Ms. Kanata.” Y/N winced as soon as the words left her mouth. There was no need for sarcasm with the old woman. Most of it went over her head anyway.

“Well, it seems you’ve gotten yourself stuck!”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Y/N felt a bit of blood start to slide down her neck as she tried to pull herself closer to the tree. Her arms strained under the stress and Y/N made a mental note to work out more if she didn’t wind up in the hospital.

“I’m calling Poe!”

“Don’t call Poe!” Y/N yelled back but Ms. Kanata was already up her small set of stairs and disappearing into her townhouse—surprisingly agile for a woman of her age. Well, that was that, then. She would be at the mercy of someone else. But maybe this was one of the few times she actually needed help.

Dammit.

Buttersworth decided now was a good time for a cuddle and suddenly dropped down to Y/N’s shoulders and wrapped her large, fluffy body around her shoulders and neck. Y/N spit out the fur that instantly landed on her tongue but silently thanked the cat for the extra warmth she provided.

Y/N wasn’t entirely sure how long she balanced precariously on that branch with her arms wrapped around the trunk. But her arms had fallen asleep and her legs were shaking from over excursion.

Suddenly, the wail of a firetruck broke the dense, quiet winter air and Y/N managed to see the bright red fire truck speed to a stop in front of her house. A ladder was soon hefted up beside her and Y/N breathed a sigh of relief.

That relief was soon shafted when a familiar face appeared beside her.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Poe said with a smile. He was draped in his fireman’s garb sans the helmet so his dark hair could be slightly tousled in the winter wind. The end of his nose was an adorable shade of pink.

“That’s a terrible joke.” Buttersworth purred a hello. Traitor.

“I thought it was funny,” he said with a laugh. “I’m going to wrap my arms around you and pull you onto the ladder, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Poe balanced himself on the ladder and gently reached out and wrapped on arm behind her back while the other slide behind her knees. Without warning, he picked her up bridal style and pulled her onto the ladder. His hands were able to grasp the ladder beneath her and they slowly began their descent to the sidewalk.

“Is this a regular occurrence for you?” She asked, trying to ignore how she could smell his cologne despite his heavy jacket. It was a clean scent and entirely masculine.

“What?”

“Rescuing people from trees.” And maybe he was trying to ignore how she could feel his firm muscles even beneath the heavy jacket he sported.

“Usually it’s cats.” He winked. “But every once in a while a kid will get stuck and their moms will panic.” They reached the ground and Poe gently set her down. His hands fell on her shoulders and he looked at her, another crooked smile on his face which quickly faded when he saw the cut on her cheek. “Hang on.”

Buttersworth nudged her head against Y/N’s as Poe ran back to his truck, without sliding on any of the ice, and then came back a moment later. He fumbled with the packet in his hands for a moment before lightly pressing what smelled like an alcohol wipe against the cut on her cheek.

A hiss of pain escaped Y/N and she shut her eyes to avoid glaring at Poe. He had saved her from the tree, after all.

“Sorry,” Poe murmured, lightly wiping her skin free of debris and blood. “I just didn’t want it to get infected. I’d hate to see you get a scar on that beautiful face of yours.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “What.”

He pressed the wipe to her cheek one last time with a smile before stepping back. “Oh, I couldn’t have been the first person to call you beautiful.”

“No, but usually the men who call me beautiful want their dick sucked.”

Poe laughed but she noticed a vibrant blush on his cheeks. “It doesn’t sound like you’ve met any good men.”

“That’s debatable.”

Buttersworth then leapt from her perch on Y/N’s shoulders onto Poe and happily curled herself around him. He laughed again and gently scratched under her chin which made the traitorous cat purr. “But anyway, would you like me to take you to the hospital?”

Y/N shook her head. “I’m fine. But…um…” Her pseudo-polite upbringing was rearing its ugly head. “Would you like to come in? For a drink? As a thank you?”

Poe smiled. “I’d love to but my shift isn’t over for another hour.”

“Oh…” Y/N reached up and gently pulled the fat cat off his shoulders. A strange sort of rejection washed over her. She decided she didn’t like it. Not at all.

“But, if it’s okay with you, I can swing by afterward. Is that all right?” He scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, his blush still staining his cheeks.

“Poe! C’mon! We’ve got another call!” A man shouted, sticking out of the still running truck.

Poe turned and waved. “I’ll be there in a moment, Finn!” He turned back to her. “So, I’ll be back soon?” He phrased it as a question, probably gauging her reaction. People had a tendency to do that.

“Sure. Whatever.” Y/N shrugged.

Another smile lit up his face. “Great!” He then sprinted back to the firetruck. She watched the bright red vehicle speed off the narrow street and disappear around the corner, sirens once again cutting through the winter air.

Y/N sighed and trudged back into her house. Buttersworth soon leapt from her shoulders and curled near the heat vent with a purr.

Y/N absolutely detested this feeling. She hated feeling like she wanted to be around someone. Sure, she had what could be considered a shitty upbringing and terrible parents, but she had never let that stand in her way before. No, her ‘family’ made her develop an almost comically thick skin and an innate ability to avoid forming attachments of any kind. Why should she when they only left her where she was at the beginning: alone. That’s why she had adopted Buttersworth in the first place. It was companionship without the hassle and without the underlying fear that the cat would just…stop appearing. (Y/N tried not to think of Buttersworth’s constant attempts to flee to the tree as some sort of abandonment.) Y/N attempted to pass the time by looking over a manuscript about an amateur spy gallivanting around Soviet Russia. 

Y/N was pulled from her half-hearted attempt at work by a knock on the door. She quickly opened it and was surprised to see Ms. Kanata looking at her through the thick glass of her spectacles.

“Oh, please come in.” She shuffled to the side to let the older woman in. “Thank you for calling Poe, Ms. Kanata.”

She just waved her hand, taking in the decorations with a smile. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. You’ve certainly brought new life to this old house.”

Y/N almost smiled. “Thank you.”

Ms. Kanata turned to look at her, the few snowflakes that had landed on her shoulders fluttering to the ground and instantly melted. “Poe talks about you all the time.”

“About my escape artist of a cat? I’m sure that’s quite a conversation starter.”

Ms. Kanata chuckled. “No, my dear. About you.”

Y/N frowned.

“You know, I used to just…have mishaps all over my house and Poe would come over to fix them. While I did enjoy seeing how he filled out his jeans, ever since you’ve shown up all he talks about is you.” Ms. Kanata sighed wistfully. “I can no longer look at his cute little behind without feeling like a homewrecker.”

Y/N blanched. What fresh hell was spewing from this woman’s mouth? What was she on?

Poe was adorable. Poe was stupidly handsome. Y/N knew she’d developed a bit of a crush on him, but she knew she didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell with him. Her prickly disposition didn’t really fare well in relationships and she didn’t like attachments anyway.

Ms. Kanata laughed, seeing Y/N’s expression. “Oh dear, don’t tell me you’ve been blind to his affections.”

“I-I-um-”

The older woman laughed again. “Ah, to be young and stupid again.” She clicked her tongue as Y/N snarled. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. And don’t worry about making any noise. These walls are soundproof.” She then winked and left.

“What the fuck…” Y/N hissed to the air as the door clicked in its frame.

She was frozen for a moment, just staring at the closed door, before she brushed the old woman’s words off. She was probably senile anyway. Y/N started the fire in the living room while she hung up her coat and gloves to dry. She shook out her hair, finding a few dead leaves and pieces of bark, and—she would swear up and down that she did this for herself and not for Poe—put on a bit of perfume and mascara before changing into a comfy sweater and jeans that weren’t damp.

“How do I look?” Y/N asked Buttersworth.

The cat just blinked and curled a little closer to the heater.

“You’re no help.”

Another knock came at her door and Y/N rolled her shoulders before answering it. Poe smiled at her, now dressed in a pair of jeans, sweater, and heavy jacket. Snowflakes had started to collect in his dark hair and Y/N could’ve sworn he looked like some romance novel hero she just had to read about.

“Come in, please.”

“Thanks.” Poe looked around the house, his smile growing. He pointed to the large print of Mucha she had hung in the stairwell. “I have that painting too.”

“Hm. Interesting. Can I take your coat?” Y/N was completely aware that most of what came out of her mouth was clipped and sardonic if not strictly for the purpose of getting someone to shut up. After more than a decade of behaving like this as a self-preservation tactic, it was hard to turn off.

Poe shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her, she hung it up alongside hers and led him into the living room which was now comfortably toasty with the roaring fire.

“So, are you a whiskey fan or more of a beer kind of a guy?” She asked, heading toward the kitchen.

“Either is fine with me.”

“Great. Because I only have whiskey. Please sit anywhere you want. I’ll be back in a moment.” Y/N entered the kitchen and let out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding. Damn Poe and his perfect face. She quickly poured two tumblers half-full of the expensive whiskey she loved and walked back out to the living room to see Buttersworth curled in Poe’s lap as he scratched behind her ears. It was such a different image than what he seemed to be on the television.

He was cuddly. Cute.

Y/N handed him the whiskey and sat on the opposite side of the couch and quickly took a large gulp of the amber liquid, feeling it burn all the way down. “I think my cat likes you more than me.” She watched Buttersworth rub her head on Poe’s chin as he tried to take a sip of his whiskey. Y/N snapped to get the cat to move. Buttersworth glared at her, as only cats can, before scooting away, bushy tail flicking behind her. “Maybe that’s why she escapes to the tree so often. She knows you’ll rescue her.”

Poe laughed behind his glass. “I don’t think that’s true.” He took another sip. “That’s good stuff. You have great taste.”

“Thanks. So…um…” For someone who worked with words as often as she did, Y/N was complete crap at making conversation. “Thanks again for getting me out of the tree. I appreciate it.” There wasn’t enough whiskey in the world to make this less painful.

“I like getting pretty women out of trees.”

Y/N nearly spit her whiskey across her rug. Poe gently clapped her on the back a few times as she coughed.

“Are you okay? I know the Heimlich maneuver.”

She waved him off, drawing in a gulp of air. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He smiled and leaned against the back board of the couch. “So, tell me about yourself.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Why?” He cocked his head to the side and Y/N was quickly reminded of a puppy.

“I’m not interesting. I’d rather not bore you.” She shrugged.

“Ms. Kanata says you’re very interesting.”

Y/N snorted into her next sip. “Ms. Kanata is interesting. You should hear what she said about you.”

“What?” He scooted a bit closer to her on the couch, his smile spreading.

“Well, for one, she stares at your butt the entire time you’re fixing stuff in her house. And she basically confessed to damaging her house to keep you coming around.”

He threw back his head and laughed; a loud, deep laugh that sent butterflies careening through her stomach. And the whiskey wasn’t helping. She had skipped dinner (because she was stuck in a tree) and now had several gulps of whiskey going straight through her system.

“Really? She finally confessed?”

“Yup. She seemed oddly proud of it too. She’s an evil genius, that one. If she were a few years younger, I think she would’ve jumped you already.”

He chuckled and took another sip of his drink. “She’s a riot. I do enjoy her company. She gives me really solid advice—about everything, life, career,” his eyes flickered to Y/N, “relationships. Now it seems a bit weird.” He shook his head.

“If it makes you feel any better, I think she’s completely off her rocker.”

Poe scooted a little closer. “I think she’s nice.”

“She’s certainly entertaining.” Y/N finished off her glass and quickly grabbed Poe’s glass from him and refilled both of them. She settled back down onto the couch, her head buzzing more and more with each passing second. She was a light weight. “So, tell me why you became a firefighter. That reporter friend of yours…” Y/N scratched her chin as she tried to remember the reporter’s name in her alcohol-addled mind. “Whatever, the one with the perfect brown hair,” she said as she waved her hand, “told all her listeners about your past. ‘A dashing pilot extraordinaire’ I think is what she called you.” Y/N hummed and leaned against the back of the couch, her head suddenly feeling very heavy. “But she never asked why you were a firefighter now. That’s sloppy journalism.”

Poe laughed again and Y/N was too buzzed to care that he was now next to her. The heat from his body was more comforting, more pleasurable than the fire a few feet in front of her. She turned her head just a bit to look up at him. He was absolutely gorgeous. And damn it all, his stupid muscles were stretching his sweater to obscene lengths.

“After I got out, I still wanted to help people. And my old commander said I had an alpha hero complex. I always needed to be saving the day. I had cross-trained as firefighter during my time in the service and there was an opening. It was just, luck I think.” He shrugged. “Why’d you become an editor?”

“Books were my only friends when I was a kid. I can’t write worth a damn and being a librarian meant I had to be around people, so that wasn’t an option. Being an editor was really just a way to stay with books without being surrounded by people. I get the manuscripts, I read them, I write all over them, I send them back. The end. It’s fun.” She shrugged and was silent for a while before frowning. “How did you know I was an editor?”

“Um…”

“So you have been talking about me to Mrs. Kanata!” Y/N said, attempting to sit up but quickly regretted it as the room started to spin. “I thought she was lying.” She rubbed her temples. “Why’re you talking about me?”

“I think you’re beautiful and interesting. And I like to talk about beautiful and interesting people and things.” He said it as if it were the most obvious of things and then she jumped when his warm fingers slid over the back of her hand.

“Are you hitting on me?” Y/N was never quite sure. It wasn’t as if she had a ton of experience in this department.

“Yes. I am hitting on you,” He chuckled, continuing to let the pads of his fingers trace patterns into her skin, leaving a wave of goosebumps in their wake. “Is that okay?”

A strange sensation started to tug at her mouth. It was a smile; not one of the practiced ones she reserved for polite conversation with her clients and co-workers or neighbors. No, it was a true, lazy smile, busting across her face. “Yeah. It’s okay.”

They talked for a while longer, drinking more whiskey, and trading stories about their various adventures as the fire started to slowly die and the sun setting washed her living room in a pale pink light.

“You went to Prague all by yourself?” (They have a really cool library in an old monastery.)

“How many times were you nearly shot down?” (Twelve.)

“You actually know that guy? He’s my favorite author!” (He’s an ass. And has terrible breath. Don’t buy his books.)

“You carried how many people out of a building?” (Just three—but I think the adrenaline did most of the work.)

“Do you only drink whiskey?” (It makes me feel like an adult.)

“Why’d you name your dog BB-8?” (It was a safe haven call code when I was a pilot.)

Y/N’s eyes felt heavier and heavier until she just shut them, leaning into Poe’s shoulder. He had continued to trace patterns into her skin throughout their long conversation and had then taken to playing with her fingers. He laced them with his own for a moment and squeezed, as if seeing how she would react. Y/N smiled without opening her eyes and squeezed his in return.

“You’re about to pass out on me.”

“I’m a lightweight,” she murmured into the soft fabric of his sweater. “You should carry me upstairs.”

Poe chuckled and used his free hand to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Why?”

“I’m tired. And I know you’re basically He-Man.” Y/N opened one eye to look at him through her eyelashes.

“Promise not to vomit on me.”

“I promise.”

Without waiting for her to brace for movement, Poe wrapped his arms around her and easily hauled her up. Y/N loosely wrapped her arms around his neck with a giggle, the first one that had escaped her since her childhood.

“See? He-Man,” she said as he easily climbed her stairs when she told him where her bedroom was located.

He gently nudged the door open and then tossed her onto the bed as another fit of giggles left her. Poe sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled a blanket over her as she nestled her head farther into her fluffy pillows. “Are you going to be okay?” He brushed a bit of hair away from her forehead, carefully to not let it brush the fresh cut on her cheek.

“How’re you so perfect?”

He laughed. “I’m not perfect. You’re pretty close though.”

“I am a raging bitch with attachment issues. I’m nowhere near perfect. You are this strong alpha-male, hero-man with that stupidly perfect face. You have no flaws. You are what books are written about.” Y/N closed her eyes and pulled the blanket to her chin. Maybe she should’ve stopped with the whiskey when she thought Buttersworth was splitting herself into two cats.

“I promise I’m not perfect,” Poe said, his voice soft and hushed.

Y/N felt him move to stand up from the bed but she threw out an arm and luckily managed to grab his arm instead of blindly hitting him in the face. “Stay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. Y/N was sure she had read a scene in a book like this just a few weeks ago. The light, the warmth, the winter chill outside, the ruggedly handsome alpha male with a soft side. Definitely the stuff of romance novels. “Stay.” Her grasp on him slid away and she patted the side of the bed she wasn’t occupying.  
Poe kicked off his boots and lay down next to her, his dark eyes searching hers.

“What?” She asked.

“I can’t figure you out.” He smiled. “You are so mean and cute and you try to make it so hard to get close to you and then you have your cat who I’m pretty sure planned this with Mrs. Kanata.”

As if on cue, Buttersworth jumped onto the bed and curled at Y/N’s feet like she usually did each night.

“Will you be here in the morning?” Y/N asked.

“If you want me to be.” His fingers found hers under the blanket and tangled them together.

Happiness had bloomed in her chest, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. “I do. I want you to be here.”

“Okay. I will be here.”

Just before she fell asleep, she felt a kiss being pressed to her forehead.

**

But when she woke up, he was gone.

Instead of the hollow ache she usually felt went an abandonment had come to fruition—Y/N was sad. An intense sadness washed over her as she looked at the other side of the bed. He had gone and she had honestly thought he would have stayed. 

He said he would. 

But, then again, a lot of people had told her that. 

The hangover she was now sporting ebbed and flowed as she stood from the bed, in a bit of a haze. The cold floor was a bit shocking but she slowly walked downstairs in search of greasy food and water and maybe a handful of Tylenol to offset the migraine that was growing with each step. 

As she cracked eggs into a skillet and watched them start to fry, tears started to slide down her cheeks and blur her vision for a moment. 

He had left. 

The front door softly opened and closed and Y/N turned around, brandishing her metal spatula as a makeshift bat. Maybe she could stab the intruder. 

But then she froze. 

Standing in her breezeway was Poe and Buttersworth was in his arms, as was a bag from her favorite bakery down the street. 

“Good morning! I went out to get us breakfast and when I came back, I noticed she’d gotten herself stuck in the tree. I had to get her down and-”

Y/N, despite smelling the eggs burning on the stove and the raging migraine she was sporting, launched herself at Poe. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, making him drop the bag and cat, so he could wind his arms around her waist and hoist her up as her lips slammed over his. The kiss instantly grew heated. His tongue licked into her mouth and easily dominated the exchange. 

Y/N gasped as they slammed into her wall. His hands grabbed her butt and he hoisted her higher but even as she held the higher ground, he continued to lead the kiss. She moaned as his mouth travelled down to her neck and he licked and sucked a mark into her skin. Poe’s plush lips touched hers again and stole her breath and she was sure she had never felt this wanted. 

They separated after a moment, with her still held against the wall and his hands still holding onto her behind. 

And then the largest smile Y/N had ever felt spread across her face before she gently kissed his nose, once again pink from the winter wind. “You stayed.” 

“I did,” he said with a smile. Poe gently set her down on her feet. “I’ve been waiting a long time to kiss you.”

“Was it worth it?” 

“I would rescue your damned cat eight million more times if it meant I could kiss you again.” He gently brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. 

“You’re so cheesy.”

Buttersworth meowed in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...please let me know what you think. (Again, sorry if I failed spectacularly. Also, sorry it was so long. Who writes almost 7000 words on a one-shot? Apparently, I do.) 
> 
> Luke Skywalker is next. 
> 
> Requests are still closed.
> 
> All my love.


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